A police officer shot and killed a violent, armed thief who tried to rob a taxi driver.

A heroic officer from the Buenos Aires Province Police was involved in a shootout on a public street after preventing an armed robbery attempt against a taxi driver in Lomas del Mirador, La Matanza district. The incident ended with the death of the violent criminal, who was shot during the confrontation.

The incident took place on Wednesday morning at the corner of Ruta 3 and Avellaneda Street. According to authorities, the episode began when Sergeant J.L.M., 35 years old, was on his way to his workplace in the Santos Vega neighborhood, traveling on a bus from line 620.

Upon reaching a traffic light at that intersection, the officer observed how an armed criminal was threatening the driver of a taxi stopped right in front of the bus, with clear intentions of robbery.

Faced with the situation, the police officer got off the vehicle, identified himself as a member of the force, and gave the order to stop. However, the criminal ignored the order and fled into the Santos Vega neighborhood through one of its alleys. At that moment, an exchange of gunfire began.

During the confrontation, the sergeant used his service weapon, a Bersa 9-millimeter pistol, and managed to wound the assailant, who fell dead a few meters from the place where he was trying to escape, according to authorities.

The tense pursuit caused several neighbors to approach the place where the wounded suspect was lying, surrounding him, which complicated police work until backup patrols and an emergency system ambulance arrived.

Medical personnel confirmed that the criminal, later identified as Maximiliano Alejandro Giori Pucheta, 32 years old, had died due to a gunshot wound to the neck. At the time of the incident, he was not carrying documents that would allow for immediate identification.

The case fell under the jurisdiction of UFI No. 12 of the Judicial Department of La Matanza, led by prosecutor Claudio Fornaro. The prosecutor's office ordered the scene to be preserved and for the forensic work to be carried out by a force external to the local police. The sergeant involved was unharmed during the shootout.

The taxi driver who was the victim of the attempted robbery, and a key witness, left the scene after the incident, although his identity has not yet been confirmed. Authorities hope to identify him in order to move forward with the investigation.

According to official records, the deceased criminal had a criminal record: he had been charged in 2013 with aggravated robbery and in 2019 with attempted robbery.