This past Monday, three of us (Barry, Doug - Director of Media Ministries, and Graham - Regional Director) visited our Hospital Vozandes del Oriente in Shell (a five-hour drive from Quito). On the way we found ourselves almost in the middle of a shootout between Police and some thieves.
On the by-pass around Ambato, suddenly two motorcycles with two riders each went by us on the left. Ahead of us a police truck, which had been sitting in a cut in the meridian, pulled out into the two lanes on our side of the meridian. The first motorcycle went around the front of the police while the second tried to go around the back. Fortunately for the police there wasn't enough room behind the truck and the motorcycle went down. Immediately, some police jumped out and had them covered with their pistols. Two police on motorcycles, who were chasing the thieves, went by us then continuing to pursue the remaining bike.
We had slowed down by this point, not really knowing what was going on. When we got to the overpass you see in the video one of the police on motorcycle was stopped there telling us to stop as well. I turned around to look behind me and saw the second motorcycle turn around on the offramp and come around us to go under the overpass. At this point the motorcycle police began telling us to get out of the van and take cover behind it. It was about this time that I remembered I had a video camera.
Doug and Graham had just gotten out when we heard a series of six or seven shots fired as the motorcycle with the thieves went across the overpass. You can hear one of the ricochets right at the beginning of the video.
We had slowed down by this point, not really knowing what was going on. When we got to the overpass you see in the video one of the police on motorcycle was stopped there telling us to stop as well. I turned around to look behind me and saw the second motorcycle turn around on the offramp and come around us to go under the overpass. At this point the motorcycle police began telling us to get out of the van and take cover behind it. It was about this time that I remembered I had a video camera.
Doug and Graham had just gotten out when we heard a series of six or seven shots fired as the motorcycle with the thieves went across the overpass. You can hear one of the ricochets right at the beginning of the video.
God certainly was protecting us on that trip. If we had been about 30 seconds further on we would have been right in the middle of the shots fired.
We found out later that the thieves had stolen $21,000. While the situation was not under control, the police were well coordinated in their pursuit of the thieves and all of them were apprehended.
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