An off-duty police couple in Rafael Castillo, La Matanza, shot and killed three armed attackers during a late-night carjacking attempt. Investigators have preliminarily determined the officers acted in legitimate self-defense after being ambushed by suspects who descended from a black Renault Sandero.
The Ambush on Sudamérica Street and the Shootout
The violent encounter unfolded shortly before midnight on Friday. Two off-duty officers of the Policía de la Ciudad—Brian Leonel Rodríguez, 25, and Maia Victoria Pacheco, 21—were arriving at a residence on Sudamérica 2400 in the Rafael Castillo district of La Matanza according to Infobae. The couple was traveling in a gray Volkswagen Fox reported Perfil.
Security camera footage captured the moment a black Renault Sandero pulled up abruptly, blocking the officers. Armed men jumped out of the vehicle with the intention of seizing the car noted Ellitoral. Two suspects rushed the driver’s side to pull open the door and threaten Rodríguez according to Clarín, while a third approached Pacheco on the passenger side stated LMNeuquén.
Both agents identified themselves as members of the force, drew their service weapons, and engaged the attackers at close range reported Los Andes. Rodríguez fired a Pietro Beretta pistol, while Pacheco used another firearm of the same make according to Ellitoral. The exchange of gunfire left three suspected robbers dead and a fourth wounded noted Perfil.
Casualties, Arrests, and Judicial Status
Two of the suspects died at the scene beside the driver’s door reported Clarín. Authorities identified them as Kevin Matías Martínez, 18, and Walter Gabriel Ponce, 22 noted La Nación. A third attacker, Rodrigo Alejandro Vargas, 22, sustained critical injuries and was rushed to Paroissien Hospital in Isidro Casanova, where he subsequently died reported La Nación.
A fourth assailant, a 17-year-old adolescent identified as Tiziano Nicolás Gauna, suffered a grazing bullet wound to the back and was detained by the Buenos Aires Provincial Police at the Simplemente Evita Hospital noted Clarín. A fifth suspect, who drove the getaway vehicle, managed to escape according to LMNeuquén and remains a fugitive reported Infobae.
The investigation is led by prosecutor Claudio Fornaro of the Fiscalía de Homicidios de La Matanza according to La Nación, alongside the Juvenile Criminal jurisdiction for the detained minor noted Noticias Argentinas. Based on initial evidence, including security footage and recovered weapons, the fiscal determined that the officers acted in self-defense and took no restrictive measures against them reported TN.
Forensic Evidence and the Mystery of the Dual Renault Sandero
Scientific Police recovered nine spent 9mm casings and lead projectiles from the crime scene noted Noticias Argentinas. Investigators also seized the officers’ Pietro Beretta PX4 Storm pistols alongside a Doberman .22-caliber long revolver—which had two complete cartridges—and a replica pistol recovered from the attackers reported Noticias Argentinas.
