The Assault Outside a Special-Education Center
The robbery took place on Tuesday afternoon, at about 4:20 p.m., near the Centro de Formación Integral Santa Inés, a special-education and job-training institution for young people with disabilities that belongs to the Obra del Padre Mario, in González Catán, Buenos Aires Province. The students were walking and playing soccer on the sidewalk when two motorcyclists approached them. One of the assailants, wearing gray jeans, a black sweatshirt and a dark helmet, threatened one of the youths with a firearm and demanded his belongings.[S1]
Video footage of the incident shows the assailant raising his arm as if to strike the boy, who became frightened and dropped to the ground. Moments later, the suspect hit him in the face with the butt of the weapon, leaving him lying on the grass. The attacker then took what was in the youth's pocket and moved on to two other adolescents, ordering them to hand over their cellphones, which they did without resistance.[S1]
Before fleeing on the motorcycle with his accomplice, the armed man fired a shot into the air. The injured teenager was assisted by his companions, and all of those involved are reported to be in good health. A security camera recorded the sequence, capturing the moment the group was intercepted.[S1][S2]
Threats, a Shot, and a Question
One of the assailants also aimed his weapon at another youth who was waiting to one side with his hands raised, shouting at him to hand over his phone or he would kill him on the spot. The unarmed young man, facing the threat, ended up giving him the device. After seizing the phones and wallets, the robbers got back on the motorcycle and, before escaping, one of them fired into the air to intimidate the group.[S2]
After being helped by those around him, the boy who had been struck with the weapon asked whether he was going to die. The question, reported in the coverage of the attack, underscored the shock and fear experienced by the youths during the assault.[S2]
Investigation and Search for the Suspects
Judicial sources confirmed that, because the incident was not reported, prosecutor Fernando Garate, who heads the Decentralized Functional Instruction Unit No. 1 of La Matanza, took up the case ex officio. He ordered security cameras to be reviewed to determine the route the criminals took after the robbery and arranged for statements to be taken from the victims, their relatives and neighbors in the area.[S1]
The Center for Assistance to Crime Victims of the La Matanza Judicial Department was brought in to provide support and accompaniment to the victims and their families. So far, the perpetrators have not been identified and remain fugitives.[S1]
