Manuel Pellegrini and wife robbed by armed muggers as West Ham manager thanks Chilean police
Recently-appointed manager was travelling to a restaurant with wife Carola Pucci when they were held up at gunpoint back in their homeland of Chile
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Manuel Pellegrini has thanked Chilean police after the West Ham United manager and his wife were mugged by armed robbers back in his homeland.
The couple were held up by gunmen on Saturday night in a suburb of Santiago called Conchali while they made their way to a restaurant with friends, with Carola Pucci, Pellegrini’s wife, having her handbag stolen.
Police confronted the gunmen, who returned fire before speeding off in a stolen Porsche Cayenne that was later found abandoned by authorities. They also found a stolen handbag that belonged to a woman, though would not confirm if it was the one belonging to Ms Pucci or her friend who was with them at the time of the robbery.
Police said that no one was injured in the incident, and 64-year-old Pellegrini posted a message on Twitter to thank them for their help at the weekend.
“Thank you to @Carabdechile your quick and courageous reaction,” Pellegrini wrote. “I appreciate the support of the people. I hope you are given more powers to police and solve the issue of crime as soon as possible.”
The drama did not stop with the shootout, as the fleeing robbers laid down road spikes to prevent police from following them as they made their getaway, local media reported.
The Porsche had been stolen two weeks before the incident, and police said that fake number plates were used to avoid detection.
Local police chief Gonzalo Munoz said: “They fired two shots at officers and threw road spikes down to stop them following as they sped off, which resulted in a police car being damaged.”
The owner of the Porsche was also quoted by The Mirror as saying: “I can’t understand how these sorts of things are happening and you can’t even go out for dinner without being robbed like this. It’s very serious.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments