A movie chase rocked a 5 kilometer marathon in Paraguay, where a criminal drove a truck at 180 kilometers per hour to flee from the police. In the midst of the panic of the runners participating in the activity organized by the Paraguayan Nursing Association (APE), a shooting occurred in which a woman who was traveling with the thief died.
It all happened on Sunday morning, when Thousands of people participated in a traditional street race in Asunción, Paraguay. According to police sources, the driver was José Gabriel Leguizamón Díaz, nicknamed “La Vaca”, who He had 17 arrest warrantsand was detected by troops who tried to intercept it immediately right near where the race was taking place.
Far from stopping, The man accelerated and fled. The maneuver caused moments of panic among the marathon participants, as the vehicle got into the middle of the competition while trying to avoid police checkpoints and was about to run over several runners in the event on several occasions.
The chase lasted for several minutes through different streets of the city. According to the official reconstruction, in this context there was an exchange of shots between the suspect and the agents who were following him.
It was then that the situation became even more dramatic: the woman accompanying the driver received a gunshot wound and was seriously injured inside the vehicle. Despite the assistance of emergency services, he died shortly afterwards.
Deputy Commissioner Blas Espínola, deputy chief of the 2nd Metropolitan Police Station, told local media that The driver was traveling at almost 200 kilometers per hour and that he resisted arrest when the police identified him.
Due to his escape, the agents were forced to fire shots at the tires of the truck due to the risk posed by the driver’s maneuver.
Now the authorities They are trying to determine the origin of the shot that caused the victim’s death. The investigation seeks to establish if the bullet came from the weapon used by the criminal or if it was a consequence of the confrontation with the Police.
After the shooting, the vehicle was finally intercepted and the driver was detained near the Lambaré cemetery. In the operation, weapons and other items considered of interest to the case were also seized.
The event generated a strong commotion among those participating in the marathon. Several runners reported that they heard explosions and that at first they did not understand what was happening. Others said they saw people running for cover while organizers tried to remain calm.
“We were very scared,” said Mirna Gallardo, president of the Paraguayan Nursing Association (APE), when remembering the persecution that ended with the arrest of José Gabriel “La Vaca” Leguizamón Díaz, after his rapid passage through the Costanera Sur of Asunción, where the race was taking place.
«All the companions began to shout: ‘Get out!’. If you look at the video, people didn’t even know where to run. It was all desperation,» the woman recalled in dialogue with Monumental 1080 AM.
Deysi Hermosilla was the woman who was saved by centimeters from being run over by the truck that the criminal was driving. It was his first marathon and his mind was focused on the race when he suddenly came close to death.
«I didn’t have the faintest idea what was happening. Thank God I didn’t have my headphones and I could hear a ‘get out of there’. I turned around and the vehicle was already centimeters away from me,» he told the same radio.
“My daughter was my guardian angel,” he said, as he had left his headphones at home to comfort his daughter in a fit of crying before leaving for the competition.
Shooting, death and an ongoing investigation
Guadalupe Yamile Simón Pérez, 25, died after the police chase and now Justice is trying to determine where the bullet that caused his death came from. She was the companion of José Gabriel Leguizamón Díaz, alias La Vaca, and died before reaching the hospital.
The prosecutor’s office involved in the case ordered a series of ballistic expert reports and the taking of statements to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and determine the corresponding responsibilities.
Osvaldo Arrua, the detainee’s defense lawyer, stated that the only thing «La Vaca» was looking for was to take his companion to the hospital. He said that the man heard a gunshot and saw his companion covered in blood, so he accelerated and got into the middle of the marathon.
«The shot entered through one of the doors, it was from the police, he had no weapons»he stated.
One of the hypotheses of the investigation is that the shooting occurred when one of the members of the Lince Group came to struggle with the criminal in motion and in a struggle the shots were fired.
Prosecutor Luis Chamorro explained that the companion “could have crouched down, which is why she has a bullet wound from top to bottom.” Furthermore, he confirmed that No weapon was found in “La Vaca”’s vehicle. and it was confirmed that there were shots from outside. In fact, a vehicle that was traveling in the area at the time of the chase was also shot.
In total, There are 10 police officers who are being investigated. The prosecutor reported that they already have their weapons and tests were carried out to determine who fired the shot. However, he defended the police actions and said that he did not see an irregular procedure or disproportionate use of force.
José Gabriel “La Vaca” Leguizamón Díaz was not unknown to the police, quite the opposite. The security forces described him as a renowned turtledove, as criminals who break the windows of parked vehicles to steal valuable objects found inside are called in Paraguay.
He had 17 arrest warrants linked to this type of crime when he was arrested after his escape at the nurses’ marathon. The dead young woman’s relatives attacked him when he left a police station to be taken to court.
