Sentenced to 8 years for two knife-point robberies and attack on police in Rawson
Andrés Isaac Martínez was declared a repeat offender and sentenced to 8 years of effective imprisonment after committing two aggravated robberies in Rawson in a single night.
Two robberies, a struggle with officers and a conviction in 48 hours
Andrés Isaac Martínez went out to rob in the Rawson department armed with a butcher's knife, attacked two victims on public roads within minutes and violently resisted his arrest. According to tiempodesanjuan.com, the court resolved the case in less than 48 hours: the tribunal sentenced him to 8 years of effective imprisonment with a declaration of recidivism.
The first attack: a woman robbed of her backpack
The operation began when personnel from the Coordinating Unit for Departmental Affairs received an alert for a robbery in the vicinity of Larrea and Güemes, in the Victoria neighbourhood. A man had attacked a woman with a knife and snatched a rucksack-type bag from her. After fleeing towards an empty lot, Martínez left part of the stolen goods along the way: police found a blue denim bag with a jacket, two asthma inhalers, thyroid medication, an ID card, a Mercado Pago debit card, a SUBE transit card and the victim's driving licence.
Five minutes later, a second victim
While officers were still tracking the suspect, they received a report of another robbery. Five minutes later and just a few blocks away, at the intersection of Paula Albarracín de Sarmiento and O'Higgins, Martínez had struck again. On this occasion the victim suffered injuries and lost a Samsung mobile telephone.
Struggle, blows and damage to a police motorcycle
Agents located the robber on Zapiola Street, between Maipú and O'Higgins. Upon noticing the presence of the police motorcycles, Martínez threw the knife down and, instead of surrendering, attacked the officers with punches and kicks. During the struggle he kicked a Kawasaki Versys 1000 belonging to the force, which caused the motorcycle to fall and damage to the front brake lever and the siren. The police officers managed to subdue him by applying the necessary force to effect the arrest.
In an emergency search, the agents recovered the stolen property, which was later identified by both victims.
Expedited procedure: from the incident to trial in two days
Assistant prosecutor Jorge Salinas intervened in the initial stage; later, duty prosecutor Yanina Galante did so. Both activated the special Flagrancia (caught red-handed) procedure. Within a few hours, the investigation had gathered sufficient elements to compile a file of almost 90 pages, which enabled the abbreviated trial route.
The charge included two counts of aggravated robbery due to use of a bladed weapon, resistance to authority and aggravated damage, all in concurrent charges.
Antecedents that weighed on the sentence
Martínez had two previous convictions. One, processed through the Flagrancia unit, had imposed a sentence of three months for several accumulated offences. The other, handed down by the Unit for Crimes Against Property, concerned a robbery and was for two months; that sentence had been served in June of this year.
The fact that he had reoffended just days after being released was considered by the tribunal, which declared him a repeat offender. That status determined both the magnitude of the sentence and the imposition of preventive imprisonment.
Eight years of effective imprisonment
In the abbreviated trial, Martínez received a sentence of 8 years of effective imprisonment. The sentence covered the offences committed that night in Rawson and took into account his aggravated procedural situation due to his criminal history. The convict was held at Chimbas Prison.
The case closed in less than 48 hours from when Martínez went out, according to the description of the investigators themselves, "on a hunt" through the streets of Rawson.
Source: Google News PR — San Juan