A US vigilante took the law into his own hands in hilarious fashion when he tied a suspected thief to a pole in Dublin City centre. Eyewitnesses were left in hysterics after the suspected thief was strapped to a pole on Moore Street - one of Ireland’s busiest shopping streets - on Tuesday evening. He was then arrested and taken to a local police station.

An eyewitness claimed the tourist, from Florida, stopped a suspected thief in his tracks and gave him a “few digs” for his troubles, leaving him with a few bruises. The holidaymaker then used a thick camping rope to strap the dazed and surprised man to a pole. Police were called to the scene at 6.30pm but before they arrived, revelers in the Irish capital wasted little time in snapping pictures of the embarrassed suspected thief and posting them online.

Eyewitnesses said revellers were left in fits of laughter as officers arrested the man in front of dozens of onlookers. One told local news website Dublin Live that the US tourist was a “big man” who had been outside a shop with a Harley Davidson motorcycle at the time when the suspected thief made his unfortunate move. He claimed: "The local man then approached him and tried to take his bag and phone but I'd say he regrets it now.