SANTIAGO, Chile — It was supposed to be a routine security check at one of the city's busiest markets. Instead, it turned into a heart-pounding shootout straight out of an action movie, captured live on national television.
A 54-year-old woman being hauled away by security guards at Santiago's massive Lo Valledor wholesale market on April 1, 2024, somehow wrestled a pistol from a guard's holster and started blasting away, authorities said.
Shocking video shows the woman, detained moments earlier for allegedly carrying a knife and resisting market entry rules, being escorted outside when she makes her daring move. In a blur of motion, she yanks the firearm free and unleashes several shots in rapid succession as panicked bystanders dive for cover and a loose dog runs wildly through the scene.
Three people were hit in the mayhem, including a private security guard and a Chilevisión cameraman who was filming a segment on new market safety measures. The cameraman took a bullet to the stomach and was rushed to the hospital in serious but stable condition. A third victim suffered shrapnel wounds. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
The brazen attack unfolded around midday at Lo Valledor, Chile's largest wholesale market in the Pedro Aguirre Cerda area, as TV crews were on site covering heightened security efforts.
Prosecutors later hit the woman with charges including three counts of attempted homicide, surprise robbery of the weapon, and illegal possession of a firearm. A judge ordered her held in preventive prison.
Reports described her as a familiar face around the market, possibly under the influence of alcohol at the time. She had reportedly argued with guards before the situation exploded.
