Crowd destroys police patrol and frustrates second arrest attempt for sexual abuse in Yapacaní
A group attacked Felcv officers in Yapacaní, Santa Cruz, destroyed a police patrol vehicle and prevented the capture of a man accused of aggravated sexual abuse against a minor.
Relatives of defendant assault Felcv and leave patrol vehicle disabled in Nuevo Horizonte
A group of people attacked members of the Special Force to Combat Violence (Felcv) in the Nuevo Horizonte area, Yapacaní district, Santa Cruz, destroyed an official police vehicle and frustrated for the second time the detention of a man being investigated for alleged aggravated sexual abuse against a 14-year-old teenager. According to reporting by El Deber, the police have already filed a formal complaint against those responsible for the attack.
The operation was carried out on Monday, when Felcv agents and personnel from the Public Defender's Office went to the location with a judicial arrest warrant against the accused, identified as Juan Carlos V. R. Relatives and associates of the defendant confronted uniformed officers to prevent his detention.
The director of the Yapacaní Felcv, Edson Fernández, reported that the attackers physically assaulted the police officers and caused serious damage to the official vehicle, which was left disabled. In the face of the violence, both the officers and the Public Defender's Office personnel had to withdraw from the location to protect their safety.
It was not the first time that relatives and associates of the accused had blocked an operation. In a previous intervention, agents had also reportedly had to abandon the location due to organised resistance from those protecting the accused. On this second occasion, the situation escalated to the destruction of the police vehicle and direct assaults against the officers.
The police maintain that Juan Carlos V. R. would have instigated those around him to confront the officers, although that accusation will need to be substantiated through the corresponding investigation.
Charges for evasion, disobedience and criminal association
The people identified during the operation were charged with several crimes: evasion, disobedience of judicial rulings, criminal association and public incitement to commit crimes, in addition to other charges that may be established in the course of the investigation. The Public Prosecutor's Office will need to determine the degree of participation of each person involved and establish responsibility for the assaults and material damage.
The main case originates in a complaint filed by a 14-year-old teenager against Juan Carlos V. R., who is being investigated for alleged aggravated sexual abuse.
The police continue with proceedings to execute the arrest warrant against the accused and seek to establish how the resistance was organised, identify all participants and determine whether there was a coordinated action to obstruct compliance with the judicial order. The case remains under investigation by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Felcv.
Source: El Deber