Vehicle theft gang arrested after armed confrontation with police in Bogotá
Six people were taken into custody, including an adolescent, following an operation that spanned Suba, Usaquén and Barrios Unidos and included gunfire in a public street.
Vehicle theft gang arrested after armed confrontation with police in Bogotá
Six people were taken into custody—five adults and an adolescent—following an operation that covered three zones in the north and centre of Bogotá and included an armed confrontation in the street. The group is suspected of specialising in the theft of vans and cars in the capital.
The incident began when officers from the Alhambra CAI were patrolling the area and noticed the unusual behaviour of two private vehicles. When they ordered the occupants to stop for an inspection, the occupants refused and fled. One of the vehicles hit the uniformed officers stationed at the checkpoint; the other accelerated to escape.
As police units pursued the suspects, they opened fire repeatedly from inside the car. The officers returned fire in self-defence. Eventually, the authorities' deployment managed to block the fugitives' path and neutralise the situation.
Once the scene was under control, officers inspected the detainees and the goods they were transporting. The confiscated items included two recovered vehicles, two pistols, five magazines, 17 rounds of ammunition of different calibres, a fragmentation grenade, a stolen motorcycle, five mobile phones and cash.
A review of judicial records showed that those involved had accumulated numerous entries for serious offences including theft, harbouring criminals, drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons and kidnapping.
The five adults were handed over to the General Prosecutor's Office, where they will be charged with offences including alteration of identification marks, assault on a public official and possession, trafficking or carrying of weapons. For its part, the Judicial Police are investigating whether this organisation has links to other recent vehicle thefts in Bogotá.
_Source: Canal 1_
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá