On Tuesday night, Nov. 11, a crowd of motorcyclists lynched Mauricio Cendares Parra, 35, at 68th and Americus after his motorcycle truck crashed into several vehicles during a chase through the streets of Kennedy.
The incident ended with his death despite police intervention. This has reignited the debate about vigilante justice and traffic recidivism in Bogotá.
You can now follow facebook and within us WhatsApp channel
Amid the uproar caused by the incident, Sendares Parra’s family issued their own opinion, asserting that the driver was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but rather suffered a nervous breakdown caused by stress and anxiety.
His nephew Francilides Rodriguez explained in a statement: W radio and snail radio He said his uncle had been “stressed and anxious for a year,” which may have triggered his unusual behavior.
“Even though he had a seizure, he didn’t attack anyone. He was probably afraid of motorcyclists.” And he reacted that way,” he said.
Rodriguez said doctors had cleared him to drive, but added that Sendares was undergoing treatment and had been hospitalized a year ago with symptoms of aggression.
“He wasn’t drinking because he couldn’t drink,” he said.
She said Sendares worked as a parking lot manager at Chapinero and worked shifts of up to 24 hours, which caused high levels of stress and insomnia.
“He was going through a phase of aggression. Apparently they drugged him and he was drugged, but it wasn’t because he took the drug of his own free will,” he explained.
On the day of the incident, he reportedly collided with a motorcycle while waiting at a traffic light, which led to a chase that reportedly ended in tragedy.
“At that moment, he didn’t realize what he was doing,” Rodriguez said.
No alcohol or toxicology tests have been conducted, and the family is still awaiting forensic results. “I have not had any contact with my uncle’s body at this time,” he said.
Bogotá’s Metropolitan Police Department said the incident began when the blue truck Sendares was driving drove dangerously for several kilometers and collided with several motorcycles.
“About 200 people chased the drivers, sometimes hitting police officers on motorbikes,” said Col. Álvaro Enrique Mora Rodríguez, operational commander of the Civil Safety Unit 3.
The pursuit ended in the Castile area, where the vehicle crashed into a fast food stand. At that moment, the crowd caught up with him, forcibly removed him by breaking the windows, and attacked him with helmets, sticks, and stones.
Despite the arrival of several patrols, the violence could not be brought under control. Sendares was taken to the West Clinic, where he died minutes later from severe multiple trauma injuries.
A uniformed officer was injured during the operation, and the Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation to identify those responsible for the lynching and to determine if the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
A video circulating on social networks shows the moment the truck lost control and crashed into several street vendors. Witnesses in the Tabak area declared that chaos broke out “in a matter of seconds.”
“People caught up with him and started hitting him with whatever they could find. Some said they fired shots as they ran away,” local resident Elizabeth Fonseca said.
The area remained cordoned off until dawn, when crime squad members collected evidence and removed the vehicle, which was completely destroyed.
Sendales Parra’s performance as a driver is also under scrutiny. According to the Integrated Information System on Fines and Sanctions for Traffic Violations (Simit): The man currently has four summonses totaling more than P2 million.
Among the violations recorded were speeding, driving during rush hour, not having a license plate, sort, and obstructing the road. No fines were paid.
About The Author
