Cablegate: Armed Robbery and Shooting at Shopping Center Near

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 002435

SIPDIS

DEPT FOP DS/IP/WHA AND DS/IP/FPO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC
SUBJECT: ARMED ROBBERY AND SHOOTING AT SHOPPING CENTER NEAR
EMBASSY

REF: WILKINS/CARTER TELCON 10/17/2005

1. On 17 October at approximately 1300 hours, a hardware
store employee waiting in a bank line to make a deposit of
currency was shot in the leg while robbed of an undisclosed
amount of cash. The location of the robbery is significant as
it occurred at the Central Comercial Pavas Banco Nacional,
which is immediately across the street from the Embassy.
This shopping center is frequented by Mission Employees
during working hours and Charge was getting a haircut in the
shopping center at the time of the robbery/shooting. The
Costa Rican police subsequently arrested three people
involved in this robbery and the money stolen was recovered
by the police. Other than the man shot in the robbery, three
other shots were fired at a vehicle occupied by two citizens
who tried to assist and apprehend the criminals as they tried
to escape the crime scene. Fortunately these good citizens
in the vehicle were not injured.

2. This is the first serious criminal incident of this type
in the area immediately surrounding the Embassy in recent
memory. The timing of this incident was also interesting.
During the time of the robbery, RSO was engaged in
conversation with FPO (ref a), and was advised that new
Department budget cuts would possibly cause RSO to cut one
mobile patrol and one perimeter security guard position (RSO
only has two perimeter guard posts). It is just these guard
positions that could have intervened in the armed robbery
yesterday if the shooter had chosen to target Mission
employees or visa applicants departing or entering the
Embassy.

3. RSO will continue to report these incidents in order to
support RSO's strong objection to any possible local guard
cuts for this Post.
FRISBIE

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