Police arrested three individuals in Peñalolén on Wednesday night after they attempted to run over officers and brandished a weapon during a routine traffic stop.
The incident began during a patrol near the intersection of Los Cerezos and Las Torres. Officers signaled for a vehicle to stop, but the driver instead accelerated toward the patrol, attempting to strike the officers.
During the confrontation, the driver pointed a firearm at one of the officers. The officer returned fire with his service weapon to repel the attack, according to Carabineros.
High-speed pursuit through Santiago
The confrontation triggered a high-speed chase that spanned multiple communes, moving through La Florida and ending in Macul. Officers eventually intercepted the vehicle at the intersection of Avenida Macul and Víctor Domingo Silva.
All three occupants of the vehicle were detained. Lieutenant Francisco Cabezas, the patrol officer for the Santiago Oriente Prefecture, confirmed that the suspects are Venezuelan nationals with extensive criminal records.
The driver sustained a gunshot wound to his left thigh during the exchange. He was transported to a local medical center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities also seized the weapon used during the incident. Investigators found that the weapon was a blank-firing gun that had been modified to fire live ammunition.
The three detainees were placed at the disposal of the justice system. While the suspects have significant criminal histories, police noted that only one of the individuals held irregular migratory status.
