vigilantism, right or wrong?

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vigilantism is the act of taking the law into your own hands. There is a case unfolding in Philadelphia Pa (USA) about a man who was beaten senseless by a group of angry people. BACK STORY: Jose Carasquillo has had many brushes with the law, including a charge of attempted assault/rape in 1994. Most of his arrests were for drugs, he had just been released from prison a short time ago (6 yr stint). Monday At 8:20 AM, an 11 year old girl drops her little sister off at daycare, then she accosted by Mr Carasquillo, pushed into an alleyway into a small yard, where she is repeatedly beaten, raped and sodomized, and finally left for dead. She did manage to get to the street where she was found bloody and crying by a pedestrian, who called 911. The police are on it (the crime) big time. News channels are showing this man's photo, tip lines are flooded by calls from people who KNOW the perpetrator, including his own family members. Later, Carasquillo is shown on surveillance video walking down the street when some one recognizes him and approaches him. 1 person became 4, then 7, then more, and the mob beats him down and holds him until police units can come scrape him off the sidewalk. No one asked for the reward monies (10 thousand), and this is a very poor section of Philly. The media interviewed many witness's, no one was sorry for Carasquillo, no one was bothered by the vigilantism, in fact, it seemed as though it was condoned by almost all the officials and media. the wheels of justice turn so slowly, have we forgotten the reason to have laws and governance of the laws by Police? raping a child is just about the worst possible thing a person could EVER do, and is NEVER justifiable. Were the vigilantes right or wrong to whoop him good (he's hospitalized presently, so is his victim) for his crime? (my personal opinions have been squelched in order to discuss the issue)