Three young men with their faces covered robbed a private ice cream factory this Sunday, located in the Amistad Final area of Cárdenas, Matanzas, in a violent armed heist that took place around 4:20 p.m.
According to testimonies collected on social media and shared by the user Christian Arbolaez on Facebook, the assailants knocked on the establishment's gate, and upon being let in, broke in armed with a gun and a knife.
Inside the establishment, the owner's father was tied up and gagged, while the employees had their jewelry ripped off, even injuring their hands to take the items.
The assailants also robbed everyone present of cash and took the keys to an electric motorcycle from a worker, which they attempted to use to escape, although they abandoned it shortly after.
During the escape, the three individuals attacked a man who was riding a bicycle, knocked him down, and continued fleeing on that means of transportation.
Forces from the operational guard of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) were immediately deployed to the area to control the situation, particularly regarding firearms. In a later update, it was confirmed that the MININT delegate arrived at the scene along with specialized units, including search dogs, in an operation to track down those responsible for the assault.
Neighbors reported that one of the alleged suspects, located in the area of San José y Tenería, was detained and transported in a patrol car, while the operation remained active to capture the others.
This event adds to a series of violent incidents in the city. Just days ago, armed hooded individuals assaulted two women in broad daylight in Cárdenas, and months earlier, a blind retiree known as Pablito died after being attacked during another robbery in the same city.
The incident sparked outrage on social media, where comments reflect both concern over the level of violence and distrust towards the authorities, in a context where Matanzas leads the crime statistics in Cuba.
"What concerns the police is not that thefts are occurring; what interests them is the firearm that is said to have been involved in this case. There are robberies every day, both with and without violence, but no one sees that level of police deployment," wrote a user.
Filed under: