The pair of agents was approached by four armed criminals when they arrived at a house in Rafael Castillo. One suspect was detained and another managed to escape
In the midst of the serious security crisis generated by Governor Axel Kicillof, a couple of police officers from the City of Buenos Aires took down three criminals who attempted to rob them in Rafael Castillo, in the La Matanza district.
The violent episode occurred on Friday night and was recorded by a security camera, which captured the moment when the officers were surprised by a group of armed men.
The incident happened around 11:45 PM, when the two officers, both dressed in civilian clothes, arrived in a gray Volkswagen Fox at a residence located on Sudamérica Street at 2400.
The attack
As seen in the footage, while the couple was getting out of the vehicle, they were approached by four violent armed criminals, who had arrived in a black Renault Sandero. Two of the assailants approached the driver, a 25-year-old police officer, opened the door, and pointed firearms at him.
At the same time, another criminal headed towards the passenger door, where the officer's partner, a 21-year-old woman, who also belongs to the City Police, was sitting.
In response to the attack, both officers drew their weapons and an exchange of gunfire occurred at close range, while the sequence was recorded by a security camera.
The criminals killed.
Three criminals shot dead
As a result of the confrontation, three of the violent thieves died. Two of them died at the scene, next to the driver's door. They were identified as Kevin Martínez, 18 years old, and Walter Ponce, 22.
The third member of the gang, Rodrigo Vargas, 22 years old, was injured during the shooting and was taken to Hospital Paroissien. However, his death was later confirmed.
A fourth suspect, identified as T.N.G., 17 years old, sustained a grazing gunshot wound to the back. The minor was detained at Hospital Simplemente Evita, where he received medical attention.
The fifth member of the group, who was driving the Renault Sandero used to get to the scene, managed to escape before being apprehended and remains wanted by the Police of the Province of Buenos Aires.
The two involved officers belong to the Tactical Planning Unit Division and the Public Road Division of the City Police. After the incident, they surrendered their service weapons and were made available to the Justice system.
So far, no measures have been taken against them, as the officers acted in legitimate defense against the serious attempted robbery.
The investigation is in the hands of prosecutor Claudio Fornaro, from the Homicide Prosecutor's Office of La Matanza. In the context of the case, the seizure of the weapons used by both the police and the criminals was ordered.
