The day of violence included the assault to a public TV station while on live broadcast
Guayaquil witnessed a day of drug violence that left ten fatalities, among them two agents of the National Police, and three wounded this Tuesday.
The local Police confirmed the information in a press conference, where they also announced the capture of 14 suspects involved in the violent acts.
The police force and the mayor of the city, Aquiles Álvarez, reported in a press conference that eight people had died and three had been injured in different events in the capital of Ecuador.
Later, the Ecuadorian Police issued a statement informing the killing of two officers by “armed criminals” in Nobol, a town in the Guayas province. They identified the victims as Alex Taday and Luis Guanotuña.
“We swore to the country to make this sacrifice and we will not stop until we catch the culprits of this criminal act,” the police force said on their social media. The police officers detained 14 people who allegedly took part in the violent acts of this Tuesday, which included the occupation of five hospitals and the TC Television channel by a group of masked gunmen, as well as damages to infrastructure and vehicles.
The Ecuadorian Attorney General’s Office declared that it will charge thirteen people with terrorism for entering the TV station with weapons and holding the staff hostage, according to a statement posted on their social media profile.
The day of violence started around 2:00 p.m. local time. During the day, the monitoring centers received 1,932 calls and 650 emergencies.
The municipality of Guayaquil stated that 29 critical incidents had been registered by 4:00 p.m.
The chief of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces, Admiral Jaime Vela, warned this Tuesday that the armed groups mentioned in the decree issued by the President Noboa that declares “the existence of an internal armed conflict” due to the violence will be a “military target” from now on.
