Stunned beachgoers watch on in horror as the man strikes the male over a dozen times as he falls on the rocky beach, before collapsing several times in the shallow water as he tries to flee.

Crying children were evacuated from the scene by panicked parents after a 'tourist' attacked an alleged pickpocket with a parasol pole on a beach popular with Brit tourists.

A video circulating online shows a middle-aged man shouting in English as he batters a younger male with the pole on Los Abrigos Beach in the south of Tenerife, Spain.

Stunned beachgoers watch on in horror as the man strikes the male over a dozen times as he falls on the rocky beach over and over, before collapsing several times in the shallow water as he tries to get away.

Several parents are seen lifting their children and sprinting away. Kids are heard crying in the clip, too.

Canarian Weekly reported that the younger male had tried to steal from the older man. The title stated: "The victim had tried to steal the attacker's wallet, and caught in the act, the tourist decided to take the law into his own hands and retaliate."

Eyewitnesses have confirmed the attack was sparked by the victim's attempt to steal the attacker's wallet, the title added.

Pictures circulating in Spanish Facebook groups show the purported injuries the younger male suffered, with deep lacerations across his back.