At 6:50 in the morning on Sunday, when Valledupar continued with the celebration of the Vallenato Legend Festival, an unexpected situation arose in the downtown area of the city. A gang of criminals assaulted and hijacked a Brinks company stock car, which at the time was picking up a consignment at a chain store, located on the seventh cart of this capital.
The moment was lived like a scene from the movie and a “festival” of shots between criminals and police caused chaos and anguish in the sixth and ninth races when a chase began that culminated at kilometer 2, via the township of Río Seco, north from Valledupar.
There the uniformed officers managed to stop the stock car, with HFO-799 license plates, after exploding the tires at the point of shots, to later intercept it, however, the criminals did not immediately surrender, and they held them hostage for more than three hours, to two security guards from the securities company. The vehicle was carrying around 5 billion pesos.
The situation was tense, the road remained blocked while an “army” of policemen remained in the line of fire to deal with the criminals, who after a few minutes announced that they had two people hostage.
The police action immediately changed and the work focused on persuading the kidnappers, among whom were two women and one man. The five people remained inside the armored truck for several hours, until finally, after noon, the criminals handed over the hostages: the truck driver, who was shot, and another of the security officials, who suffered heart damage from the situation experienced. Both were transferred to an assistance center in the city, where they received medical attention.
A few minutes later, the three assailants, two women and one man, turned themselves in to the authorities, who also received medical attention, since they remained locked in the vehicle for many hours.
THE PERSECUTION
According to the information collected, the stock car was approached by three security officials, who arrived at a chain store to withdraw a consignment of products sold during the Vallenato Festival. Presumably one of the doors of the vehicle was left open, a situation that the criminals took advantage of to board it and when they entered the security guards met and one of them confronted the robbers.
However, the criminals managed to subdue two of them and take control of the valuables truck identified with the number CB-45019, beginning an intense pursuit with the National Police, whose uniformed officers were fighting to stop the vehicle to prevent the million-dollar robbery.
These scenes were experienced by those who were on the road, among them Juan, who stated “I was parked on my motorcycle waiting for a customer, when suddenly I saw the armored car coming at full speed and behind it the police firing shots. I thought I was going to die, I fell to the ground and dragged the motorcycle into the brush, while I saw a large number of police officers trying to stop the truck. It was like a movie, ”he said, still nervous about the moment he lived.
Other citizens had to clear the road while the exchange of shots took place, until the police managed to stop the valuables car, by hitting the tires and preventing them from continuing with their escape.
OFFICIAL REPORT
Colonel Luis Exberto León, commander of the Cesar Police, stated that the assault was frustrated thanks to a coordinated effort between officials of all the institution’s specialties. “We are in the process of inspection and judicial work together with the Prosecutor’s Office. There are five people linked to the process, including the two people rescued; The case is a matter of investigation.”
It is estimated that the criminal gang intended to commit the millionaire theft, taking advantage of the fact that during the night and early morning yesterday, a large part of the police contingent was guarding the events to commit this criminal act.
“These criminals neutralized the Brinks company vehicle and began to flee, fortunately several calls received through line 123, the operation was activated, allowing some of the roads to be blocked and the pursuit that finally allowed the assault to be frustrated,” explained the colonel who highlighted the impeccable work of the uniformed.
THE NEGOTIATION
To achieve the delivery of the criminals, the police fired a few shots as a stunning strategy, the use of gas and then the negotiations that initially allowed the delivery of the alleged hostages and later the criminals.
The stock vehicle was also intercepted through some units, which allowed the assailants to be cornered, who stopped, in addition to completely destroying the tires. The negotiation was carried out by the intelligence team of the Police and the Gaula, allowing the alleged assailants to be removed one by one.
All were taken out in ambulances, guarded by the National Police and transferred to care centers. Several police officers were also slightly injured in the procedure.
Eduardo Esquivel, Secretary of the Departmental Government, highlighted the work carried out by the National Police, by thwarting a millionaire theft in the middle of the Vallenato Festival.
“All the institutions are coordinated at this time to clarify this attempted theft in detail. There are five arrests in the case, without ruling out that others may occur in the next few hours, ”she said.
There were approximately 5 billion pesos that were transported in the securities vehicle, the product of various remittances that they had collected, since a large amount of money is being handled in the city within the framework of the Vallenato Legend Festival and many establishments wanted to secure what is produced “The representative of the Brinks company informed the authorities that this money was transported from one bank to another, to supply all the ATMs in Valledupar, however, these details are being investigated,” said Esquivel.
He also reported that the captured subjects are from Valledupar and La Guajira. It is being investigated whether there is complicity between the criminals and the workers of the securities company.
