Police action is viewed by hundreds, as suspects lock themselves into car

At noon on Wednesday, December 13, there was intense police action on Ricardo J. Alfaro Road, in which two men traveling in a suspect.

They had been pursued from Punta Pacifica to near the site where their tires were targeted. After the police action, which lasted almost two hours, the authorities gave statements about the operation that was carried out on the road with hundreds of passers-by who remained close to the scene. Videos of the police action were widely circulated on social media. 

Cash and a still unknown amount of suspected drugs were some of the evidence found inside the vehicle, according to Commissioner Juan Arango.                                                                                                                                                                  

The Public Ministry began the judicial process to determine the criminal responsibility of those arrested and learn more details related to the investigation.

Commissioner Arango said that the police action by the lynx units began on Via España when the individuals aboard the truck disregarded traffic signs. and when asked for their identification documents, they fled.

According to Arango, the individuals were asked to get out of the vehicle and surrender to the authorities voluntarily; however, they decided to barricade themselves inside the vehicle and ignore the police call. Subsequently, he coordinated with the Special Forces team and the Explosives Technical Unit of the Ministry of Security (Minseg) to expel the two men from the vehicle using a teargas container.

The preliminary report provided by the commissioner details that the two detainees are of Panamanian nationality, one wanted for the crime of homicide and the second with a criminal record for possession of a firearm, drugs, and with a precautionary measure, issued by a competent judicial authority.