2023-10-07 01:00:06
Retired Army Colonel Michel Plazas Vega was subdued, handcuffed and thrown to the floor at the Colombian consulate in Orlando (Florida, United States). The man reported that the attack occurred after he demanded better attention from the diplomatic staff at the facility.
Images recorded the moment in which three uniformed United States Police officers subdued the retired soldier. On the floor, Plazas Vega screamed in pain and begged for the consul to attend to the situation.
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“Michel and his brother José Ricardo Plazas Vega approached the Consulate to carry out the survival procedures, they are both pensioners. However, José Ricardo had lost his Colombian ID, which is why they were not going to assist him; His brother Michel did have the document and approached the main door with the identification in hand, that’s when the attack occurred,” said Claudia Herrera, wife of the soldier (r).
In the images released, the moment in which Consul Rafael Orozco notices the alteration of order in the premises is observed. He opened the door and closed it again.
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The Orlando Police took Plazas Vega prisoner. His wife reported that he was charged with three charges: resisting arrest, attacking a police officer and entering a restricted area.
“They charged him with three charges that could give a man with a clean record 11 years in prison. He had to pay $3,000 bail and it was nothing. To top it all off, we had to hire a lawyer, because we are not willing to leave this like this,” added Herrera.
The retired colonel, for his part, filed a lawsuit against the officers who arrested him for abuse of authority. He assured that the video is part of the evidentiary material that he will send to American justice.
What does the Foreign Ministry say?
From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs they indicated that the events were recorded on September 15 and that it occurred outside the consulate facilities.
“The consular office provides its services in a property subject to a horizontal property regime with multiple owners. “In the event of any disturbance of public order in the facilities and shared spaces, the building administrators may require the presence of the police authorities,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
They reported that the retired colonel caused a disturbance to public order after his companion was not authorized to enter and that, therefore, he was arrested by local authorities.
“The Police did not enter the Consulate, with the understanding that these premises enjoy inviolability protected by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. However, at the same time, they must adopt the necessary measures to protect consular premises against any intrusion or damage and to prevent the tranquility of the consular office from being disturbed or its dignity being violated,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
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