Hooded man breaks into a home and assaults the owner with a machete in Sancti Spíritus

A hooded man violently burst into a house located near the candy store in Céspedes, in the city of Sancti Spíritus, and attacked one of the residents with a machete.

The victim was identified as Eduardo. The report on social media was made by Yureibys Torresilla (El Héroe), in the Facebook group Aquí con el héroe en Sancti Spíritus ¡Hermanos de la Calle!

"Now we have finally reached the apocalypse. A hooded guy showed up at the house next to the candy store on Céspedes and attacked Eduardo, the man of the house, with a machete. It's incredible, incredible what we are living through. They took him to the hospital in very bad condition," wrote Torresilla.

The injured person was transferred in serious condition to the provincial hospital, as confirmed by eyewitnesses.

"I was in the hospital when he arrived, in very bad shape, with many machete wounds. The doctors quickly started to attend to him. My God, it's very sad, poor man," commented the user Denaidis Castro.

Another internet user, Nely Hernández, stated that she overheard the comments from those present: "Speechless. So much violence and vandalism. The laws are too lax for that kind of thing."

So far, authorities have not provided official information about the attacker or the current health status of the victim. It is unclear whether this is an isolated incident or if it is related to previous conflicts or attempts at robbery.

The Cuban regime claims that crime is decreasing, but the figures contradict this

Such acts of violence contradict the official narrative of the Cuban regime, which insists that crime rates are decreasing.

The Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, stated in July, during a meeting of the Group for Crime Prevention and Response, that “the trend is downward, but the indicators remain high.”

However, data from the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory (OCAC) shows the opposite: between January and June 2025, 1,319 crimes were reported, nearly five times more than in the same period of 2023 and more than in all of 2024. This represents an average of 7.3 crimes per day, a historical record that reflects the rising crime rate on the island.

Among the documented crimes, the following were reported:

• 721 robberies, including 193 related to the theft and slaughter of livestock.
• 63 murders, with victims including women, minors, and the elderly.
• 16 femicides.
• 99 cases of assaults and attacks, with a higher incidence in Havana, Matanzas, and Santiago de Cuba.
• 198 offenses related to drug trafficking, more than half in Havana.
• 238 cases of vandalism, illegal possession of firearms, and smuggling.

The report indicates that 1,588 people participated in these crimes, 90% of whom are men. The victims include both men and women, children, and the elderly, highlighting the widespread impact of violence in Cuba.

Factors such as access to firearms, the growth of drug trafficking, and the rise in property and livestock crimes—driven by food shortages and economic collapse—are identified as key triggers.

The OCAC warns that the insecurity crisis in Cuba cannot be separated from the disconnect between the priorities of the Ministry of the Interior and the criminal reality. While the police concentrate their resources on monitoring dissent and repressing protests, common crime expands unchecked.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Rise in Crime in Cuba and the Incident in Sancti Spíritus