Insecurity once again demonstrated its dominance in the Buenos Aires suburbs with two violent episodes occurring in La Matanza and La Plata that highlight the absolute deterioration of the security system. In both cases, the common denominator was the abandonment by the provincial government: merchants turned into vigilantes out of necessity and criminals moving with impunity.
The most recent case occurred in González Catán, where two criminals attempted to rob a Chinese supermarket on Apipé street. The merchant's response was not to wait for the police, but to take justice into his own hands. With a .40 caliber Taurus pistol –illegally owned– he fired seven shots at the robbers' backs, who fled leaving their motorcycle behind. One of the bullets hit the right ankle of one of the suspects, César Gómez, and another hit his back. He was found shortly after by the Bonaerense Police at the Simplemente Evita hospital, while his accomplice, César Monzón, was also arrested. Both had already been reported for another attempted robbery, a few blocks away, by a merchant who clearly identified the strikers.
