STORY: :: Warning: Graphic content
French prosecutors are investigating after a masked gang tried to kidnap the daughter of a crypto businessman in Paris on Tuesday.
The graphic video of the attack was filmed by an onlooker and widely shared on social media.
It shows three masked men wrestling with two people on the ground as a getaway van idles nearby.
A shop-owner is seen intervening - rushing at the attackers with a fire extinguisher.
After the extended physical struggle, the attackers eventually give up and drive off.
The shop-owner who gave his name only as Nabil is being hailed as a hero.
"I rushed over with that object (the fire extinguisher), not knowing exactly what I was going to do with it. But I feel like it ended the altercation. So I achieved my goal."
The kidnapping target was identified by local media as the daughter of the CEO of a platform for buying cryptocurrencies, who was with her partner at the time.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the victims' identity.
The Paris prosecutors' office said a probe had been opened into the attempted kidnapping and would be conducted by an organized crime unit.
It's at least the third violent attack targeting wealthy crypto players and their families in recent months.
In January, one of the co-founders of French crypto company Ledger was kidnapped for ransom along with his wife. He lost a finger before being rescued.
And in early May the father of a French crypto player was kidnapped for ransom and was rescued by police days later, also missing a finger.
