Goldsmith Magnús Steinthórsson was attacked in his workshop on Austurvöllur square in broad daylight on Friday. Two men wearing ski masks barged in; one of them held Steinthórsson while the other went straight to the cash register.
A goldsmith at work. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
“I just looked into his eyes and then I don’t know what happened but I managed to throw the guy off me, as if I were tossing a basketball, and hit him at the same time,” Steinthórsson told Morgunbladid in description of his reaction.
“The other guy turned around to see what was happening and I hit him and he dropped the key to the register at the same time that I jumped at him. Then I clapped my hands together and said: ‘Is this what you want? No problem, let’s fight’.”
“They were obviously taken aback, ran outside and down the stairs. I followed them because I thought I would catch them as the front door is always locked but they had left it open and managed to escape,” Steinthórsson explained.
He then called the emergency hotline but was told that the police couldn’t come to the scene and that he should come to the police station instead to give a report. Steinthórsson was surprised at the police’s reaction.
Chief Constable at the Capital Region Police Geir Jón Thórisson explained each case is evaluated individually. In this case it wasn’t unusual to ask Steinthórsson to come in for questioning as he had been unharmed and the attackers had run away.
