A violent insecurity incident was recorded during the afternoon of this Thursday 16th of July in the Kennedy Central area, in the southwest of Bogotá.
What started as an apparent case of fleteo inside a commercial establishment ended in a shootout that left three people injured, including a military personnel who tried to thwart the robbery. The case revealed a series of images that surfaced in recent hours.
The new images from the robbery
According to the initial investigations by the police authorities, the victim of the robbery had withdrawn a sum of money minutes earlier at a banking entity. Afterwards, they went with a companion to a restaurant located at carrera 78b with calle 38c Sur.
It was in that establishment where the armed criminals, who were riding a motorcycle, intercepted them to snatch a bag containing approximately 2 million pesos.
The security cameras in the area became key pieces for the investigation, after images of the exact moment following the shootout were revealed.
In the videos obtained by the journalistic team of CityTv, a television outlet of Casa Editorial EL TIEMPO, the distress and chaos on the street of the Kennedy Central neighborhood is observed immediately after the gunfire inside the restaurant ceased.
The audiovisual material details how one of the robbers runs hurriedly from the commercial establishment to meet his accomplice, who was waiting a few meters ahead on a running motorcycle. Once the criminal gets on the two-wheeled vehicle, both make a quick escape through the neighborhood streets, quickly disappearing from sight.
These recordings are being thoroughly analyzed by forensic experts from the National Police. With the high-definition images, the authorities seek to fully identify the motorcycle’s license plates, as well as the physical characteristics and clothing of the two criminals, in order to reconstruct their exact escape route and achieve their capture in the coming hours.
What is known about the fleteo in Kennedy
According to the preliminary report provided by the authorities at the scene, a strong struggle broke out between the criminals and the victim upon entering the premises. At that precise moment, a member of the Army who was present noticed the criminal situation and decided to intervene using his firearm to confront the robbers. This brave but risky reaction triggered a exchange of gunfire inside the establishment.
“It was around 2:30 in the afternoon. I was already getting ready to go pick up my granddaughter and at that time we heard many shots, one after another,” recounted a neighbor of the area distressed about the moments of anguish experienced in the neighborhood.
As a result of the shootout, three people were injured by gunfire: the victim of the fleteo, their companion, and the retired military personnel who intervened. The injured were immediately taken urgently to a nearby medical center.
The most recent medical report indicates that two of the injured are stable and out of danger, while the third had to undergo surgery due to the severity of the wounds.
“Our patrols in the area arrived immediately and carried out the transfer of the injured persons to the nearest hospital,” said Lieutenant Colonel Juan Montilla, commander of the Kennedy Police Station.
Despite the quick reaction of the retired military personnel, the criminals managed to flee the restaurant with part of the cash. A few meters ahead of the robbery site, an accomplice was waiting for them on a motorcycle on which they escaped.
At this time, units of the Bogotá Metropolitan Police are collecting testimonies and analyzing security camera footage from the area to trace the exact escape route used by the criminals and achieve their prompt identification and capture.
FELIPE SANTANILLA AYALA
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