Gunmen appeared to storm the TV set of a news station in Ecuador and take hostages live on air Tuesday following the prison escape of the country’s most notorious gang leader.
The hooded gunmen covered their faces in black masks and appeared to point pistols at the news anchors of the TC Television station in Guayaquil, according to footage posted by Alerta Mundial. A man, who appeared to be a news anchor, quietly pleaded with the gunmen as they took over the set.
A gunman then appeared to hold a gun to his neck and forced him to kneel, footage shows. As he began kneeling, he stood back up as at least two men appeared to point guns at him. Several others lied face flat on the floor as an individual apparently forcibly held them hostage.
🇪🇨 | URGENTE: Delincuentes irrumpieron en TC Televisión y secuestran a todos en vivo y directo en Guayaquil, Ecuador. pic.twitter.com/ob1yleusOc
— Alerta Mundial (@AlertaMundoNews) January 9, 2024
The gunmen ordered several of the people on set to lie on the floor and shouted that they had “bombs,” according to Sky News. Someone in the background could be heard pleading “don’t shoot” as several employees were forced to lay on the floor, according to The Associated Press (AP). (RELATED: Reporter Starts Having A Stroke Live On Air In Oklahoma)
The broadcast aired for at least 15 minutes until it abruptly cut off, according to The Associated Press.
Footage shows police arresting all of the gunmen who stormed the TV studio. The officers escorted all of the suspects outside of the building.
JUST IN – Police arrests all the gunmen who stormed Ecuador TV studio
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) January 9, 2024
The incident happened one day after Ecuador President Daniel Noboa issued a 60-day state of emergency after a notorious gang leader, Adolfo Macías, escaped from his prison cell Sunday, according to BBC News.
Amid the state of emergency, at least seven officers have been kidnapped, and there have been a series of explosions, according to Sky News. Agents further arrested two individuals as suspects for at least one of the attacks and for possession of explosives, The AP reported.
Macias served a 34-year sentence in La Regional prison over murder and drug trafficking convictions, Sky News reported. He escaped on the same day of his scheduled transfer to a maximum security facility in Guayaquil.
The Los Choneros gang is deemed responsible for a high spike in violence following the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, according to Sky News.
This post has been updated to reflect the fact that police arrested the suspects.