Guayaquil, Ecuador, faced a harrowing incident as masked assailants armed with firearms and explosives invaded a television channel during a live broadcast, taking numerous journalists and staff members hostage. The attackers, brandishing long-barreled weapons, forcefully restrained television employees during the assault. Amid the chaos, distressing pleas for mercy echoed as a woman’s voice begged, “Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot.”
Responding to the crisis, the National Police swiftly mobilized units in Quito and Guayaquil to address the criminal act. Notably, the attack occurred shortly after President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency following the escape of Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as “Fito,” the leader of the Los Choneros gang, from a Guayaquil prison.
TR