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A group of 24 people, 20 men and 3 women, were arrested last night after they carried out a violent entry into the Coquimbo Municipal ex-market, all charged with the crime of violent usurpation and violating article 318 of the Penal Code.
The events took place after 8:00 p.m. when the group of subjects arrived in vehicles and proceeded to enter the premises, attacking the merchants who were inside, in addition to destroying everything in their path.
According to the tenants, it would be a group made up mostly of foreigners who, with various strong elements, arrived at the place and would have locked themselves inside.
Once inside, they destroyed the furniture and took various things from the premises to throw them on the street.
“They began to throw out the food that we had stored, such as chicken and meat,” said one of those affected
Patricio Basaure, leader of the tenants, indicated that the group had come prepared because they brought all the implements to be able to attack people and close the doors of the compound.
Basaure himself was one of the most affected after being hit with a bat in his face by one of the subjects.
He relates that four other merchants were beaten with their feet and fists, including a woman.
“They are mainly people of color, apparently Haitians, because some people recognized them as living in Tierras Blancas,” said Basaure.
After these events, Carabineros personnel arrived to carry out an operation to control the situation.
Of course, the rest of the tenants also arrived along with relatives who had the intention of removing those who had taken the premises by their own hands.
Faced with this tense situation, the Carabineros had to wait for the arrival of special forces and Army personnel to be able to transfer the detainees so that they were not attacked by the rest of the people who were waiting outside the compound. He even had to disperse the angry merchants with tear gas to carry out the operation.
Carabineros General Jorge Tobar, faced with criticism by some tenants for a late response from the police forces, pointed out that an intervention like this cannot be carried out without first evaluating and obtaining a diagnosis of the situation.
“After talking with the people who had entered the compound, they were evicted peacefully and they were detained. There are 23 people, 20 men and 3 women, who were arrested for violent encroachment on property, ”the police officer reported.
The mayor Marcelo Pereira arrived at the place, who indicated that it is not possible for this type of situation to occur in the commune.
“Someone is organizing them and must be behind this attack, our biggest scare is that they want to burn the premises,” said the mayor.
Pereira reiterated that they have held several work meetings so that the former municipal market is declared cultural heritage.
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