Gringo Shot, Survived In Cali Taxi Shooting

[JimD]

I´m surprised Mudd didn´t catch this (or maybe he did and I missed the post?)  It´s old news, happened in May: a gringo was the victim of a paseo millionario as he was riding in a taxi with a colombiana in Cali. Antoni Dwight Vásquez was shot in the abdomin and chest when he tried to resist. It must have happened in north Cali because he was taken to the clinica Nuestra Señora De Los Remedios which is in front of the bus terminal in the north end. Evidently the wounds weren´t too severe because according to the article he returned to the the US after recuperating for only two days. This is a re-cap published today (you must read Spanish):
http://www.elpais.com.co/elpais/judicial/paseos-millonarios-aumentan-en-cali
It sounds like Antoni´s (probobly Anthony) heroics almost got him dead. A lesson to be learned here is that if you ever find your self in his situation bear in mind that A. these guys almost never get caught, B. there is no death penalty and C, if they do get caught jail time is short.
 
 
 

[beginthebeguin]

Yeah, the advice in the article of calling ahead for a pick-up and getting the operators license number and the plate's number BEFORE one gets in the taxi and giving that info to a friend or relative I guess is standard procedure especially at night and in certain barrios even during daylight hours in Cali.
I will have to condition myself to remember that.

[Researcher]

     It is definitely a good idea to call for a taxi or have someone call from a restaurant, for example.I liked that transportation is so much easier and inexpensive in countries like Colombia but it does have its drawbacks. I always locked the doors when I rode in a taxi also.

    Researcher

[V_Man]

Hey Jim - Muchas Gracias!!

I will be going to Cali this year and so I need to know what to do to keep safe.
I tend to be a little bit of a risk taker and am far too trusting so stories like these and how to avoid a similar fate are things I need to read. I can read Spanish.

[mudd]

hahaha


i heard about it, but its getting  old to keep posting about the crime in Colombia, much less Medellin now. Crime in Medellin is the worst its been in the last 5 years, definitely not as bad at the early 90s but its way up and robberies at gunpoint are really up.


i hear about at least one every two weeks in Medellin now, and that's just by friends i know, not how many actually happen in the city, which is a lot. most just give up what they have, cell phones, wallets, watches etc and their isn't a problem, but one friend of a friend coped an attitude and the robber pistol whipped him side of the face and left a nice gash.


novias family  told me last week, be very careful who your friends are in Medellin, don't meet anybody alone, even if you think they are normal and seem nice.