Asunción marathon pursuit: "La Vaca" arrested, one woman dead
A fugitive with 17 arrest warrants broke into a marathon in Asunción to escape police. A 25-year-old woman was shot dead during the pursuit.
Fugitive with 17 warrants sows panic at Costanera Sur marathon
According to elonce.com, a high-speed police pursuit in Asunción left a woman dead and ended with the arrest of one of Paraguay's most wanted criminals, this Sunday during a five-kilometre race organised by the Paraguayan Nursing Association (APE) at Costanera Sur.
The main protagonist was José Gabriel Leguizamón Díaz, 39 years old, known as "La Vaca", who had accumulated 17 arrest warrants for aggravated robbery, aggravated theft, wilful homicide and obstruction following traffic accidents, in addition to records in Bolivia linked to vehicle theft.
The situation began when the driver crossed a restricted area of the security operation set up for the competition and disobeyed orders to stop from police and traffic agents. The vehicle struck a barrier of the operation and then collided with a patrol car from the 2nd Metropolitan Police Station.
From that point on, a high-speed pursuit unfolded across different sectors of the capital, while hundreds of runners participated in the marathon. Subcommissioner Blas Espínola stated that the driver reached speeds of around 180 kilometres per hour, putting runners, motorists and police officers at risk.
Police fired shots at the truck's tyres to attempt to stop the escape. Images shared on social media showed patrol cars pursuing the vehicle as it performed dangerous manoeuvres near the sports circuit.
The pursuit ended in the city of Lambaré, near a cemetery, where Leguizamón Díaz was finally overpowered and arrested.
However, during the confrontation, Guadalupe Yamile Simón Pérez, 25 years old, who was travelling with the accused, was seriously wounded. The young woman sustained a gunshot wound to the thorax and was urgently transported to Barrio Obrero Hospital, where hours later her death was confirmed.
The name Leguizamón Díaz had been known in Paraguay since at least 2010, following a series of criminal acts and various arrests recorded in recent years.
Source: Google News PY — Asunción