- Seven gunmen who invaded a hospital in Ecuador have been detained by police.
- The gang members held nurses hostage and engaged in gunfire with the police.
- A 17-year-old attacker is believed to be a member of a rival gang who is recovering in a critical care unit.
Seven gunmen who invaded a hospital in Ecuador in an effort to assassinate an adolescent receiving treatment have been detained by police.
Before being arrested, gang members held nurses hostage and engaged in gunfire with the police.
According to officials, all hostages were released, and no one was hurt.
The 17-year-old attacker, known as “Dirty Face,” is believed to be a member of a rival gang who is recovering in a critical care unit after being shot.
Five employees were taken hostage by the gunman for more than an hour, one worker told the local newspaper.
Social media videos appear to show men in balaclavas brandishing weapons briefly forcing a woman through an emergency exit door of the hospital before dragging her back inside.
In western Ecuador’s town of Chone, several medical staff members claimed that they had barricaded themselves in their rooms while the shooters knocked down doors in search of the adolescent.
“They didn’t know the hospital layout, it seems, and that’s why these delinquents were roaming through the entire hospital,” Homero Andrade, who represents employees at the hospital, told local newspaper.
“Thanks to God and to the police we’re still here to tell the tale,” Mr. Andrade said.
Guillermo Lasso, the president of Ecuador, also expressed gratitude to the police, stating that their action had saved lives.
On Twitter, the president posted video that showed armed officers waiting to enter the building before making arrests.
Debo destacar el notable trabajo de la @PoliciaEcuador en el Hospital Napoleón Dávila de Chone. Su intervención logró detener a los 7 delincuentes, liberar 4 rehenes y salvar vidas. Esas son nuestras fuerzas del orden: listas para defender a la ciudadanía. Situación bajo control. pic.twitter.com/2ASdtxjeKV
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) November 28, 2022
Recent years have seen a substantial increase in gang violence in Ecuador, involving grisly tactics like beheadings, as well as a string of deadly jail riots.
Analysts believe that the deadly Mexican cartels’ expansion into Ecuador, where they enlist local gangs to smuggle cocaine, is a contributing factor in the increase in violence.
Since taking office last year, President Lasso has issued a number of proclamations of emergency in an effort to address the steep increase in violence.
He declared war on drug gangs in the beginning of November, calling their assaults a declaration of war.
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