A licensed gun holder saved a taxi driver from losing his mobile phone to thieves along Koinange Street, Nairobi.
The incident happened on Tuesday night at about midnight, police and witnesses said.
A gang of two riding on a motorbike had attempted to snatch a mobile phone from a taxi driver when the licensed gun holder who was standing near the scene acted.
The holder shot to the air twice scaring the gang which sped off from the scene.
The taxi driver went and hugged the gunman saying the mobile phone he was to lose was part of his source of life.
Police arrived at the scene and processed it saying the hunt on the gang is ongoing.
Cases of mobile phone snatching are on the rise in the city amid police action to address the trend.
Elsewhere, a mob chased and lynched a suspect who had been accused of snatching a mobile phone at the junction of Lenana Road and Chaka Road, Nairobi.
The stretch spanning Dennis Pritt Road, Chaka Road, Lenana Road and adjacent areas has been experiencing cases of mobile phone snatching.
Gangs on motorbikes target mobile phone users and snatch their gadgets before speeding off.
On Monday evening, a similar incident happened on Lenana Road prompting a brief chase that ended with the lynching of one suspect.
His accomplices managed to escape on a motorbike.
Police rushed to the scene as the mob attacked the suspect but could not save the situation.
They were handed two mobile phones- an Iphone and Tecno- that had apparently been stolen from users.
The man was stoned to death. The body was later moved to the mortuary.
Cases of mob lynching have been on the rise amid calls on the public to always surrender suspects to authorities for processing and prosecution.
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