View of a gold bar during the presentation of the first automated teller machine (ATM) in South America to deliver gold bars, during the mining fair in Medellín, Antioquia department, Colombia on September 27, 2013. (Photo credit should read LUIS ACOSTA / AFP via Getty Images)
(CNN in Spanish) -
Medellín police detained 11 people, one of whom was injured, in a botched robbery of a gold deposit in a southern area of the Colombian city.
The commander of the Metropolitan Police of Valle de Aburrá, Brigadier General Javier Josué Martín Gámez, said at a press conference that the authorities detected a heavily armed group in the precious metals processing warehouse in the exclusive area of El Poblado.
He said a police patrol noticed unusual activity outside the warehouse and surveillance cameras in the area captured images of a truck and motorcycles.
He added that the group included someone dressed as a traffic officer who acted as a lookout for a dump truck ready to take the gold.
Passersby recorded video of people with long guns firing as they tried to flee the area, but police had established a perimeter and were able to make arrests, Martín Gámez said.
Firearms were seized at the scene, including a submachine gun, bulletproof vests, motorcycles and other vehicles, General Jorge Luis Vargas Valencia, director general of the Colombian National Police, said in a statement.
Medellín Mayor Daniel Quintero Calle called the arrests a blow to organized crime.
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"They thought they were going to make 'La casa de papel' here," Quintero Calle added, referring to a Netflix crime series.
Quintero Calle offered a reward of around $ 2,600 for anyone who provides information about other suspects in this robbery attempt.
Medellin