Five detained over violent riots

The fallout from violent demonstrations over alleged police inaction after the murder of a 17-year-old girl last weekend was extensive. The protest which turned violent on Sunday evening after a march on the precinct by citizens of Junín demanding justice transformed into a chaotic battle against police forces around dusk, lasting long into the night until 3am. The net result of the violence was a precinct on fire after being looted, four police cars destroyed, the town hall also broken into and set ablaze and injuries to residents, policemen and journalists covering the riot. Two policemen and one journalist were reportedly injured by rocks thrown at them.

Security personnel attempted to deter the violence by shooting rubber bullets in response to the Molotov cocktails and other objects being thrown at them. Junín Prosecutor Roberto Rodríguez stated in a press conference yesterday that five people were detained for “public intimidation” and “robbery.”

Police sources also reported that two people (one adult and one teen) had been arrested for the murder of Karen Campos, 17, which purportedly sparked the riot. Video camera footage recovered yesterday showed that the victim had tried to defend herself from the assault with a stun gun before receiving a fatal shot to the thorax.

Buenos Aires provincial Governor Daniel Scioli called the victim’s mother yesterday, promising her his support, to which the latter replied that the riots had been detrimental to the parents’ search for justice and that her daughter’s killer “should never be freed”. Provincial Security Minister Ricardo Casal stated his administration’s belief yesterday that there must have been “some political group” from outside Junín who wanted to generate chaos in the city in order to cause mischief and harm the city’s institutions.

Meanwhile, national government officials denied accusations by Junín Radical Mayor Mario Meoni, who had criticized the national government for not sending support because of his criticisms against national Security Secretary Sergio Berni, who (he claimed) had told him “it will be difficult to send support” after he accused the national government of not responding. The provincial government authorities finally sent provincial police chief Hugo Matzkin with other security personnel to examine the situation late Sunday night.

Herald with DyN, Telam, Ambito.com