Armed assailants storm newsroom during live broadcast, journalist Jorge Rendón recounts the experience
On the other side of the armored door, the attackers shouted my name. “Open they door,” they hollered. “We know you are there. We know you are broadcasting.” They pounded on the door, threatening to shoot it down or blow it up with the powerful explosives they carried.
- 9 months ago
February 13, 2024
TC Ecuador staff were forced to the ground during the armed attack on the newsroom. | Photo
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — On January 9, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., while my partner Vanessa Filella and I broadcast live from the newsroom, strange noises echoed down the hallway. Puzzled, Vanessa and I looked at each other as the noises grew louder. During our commercial break at 2:15 p.m., I heard the producer and camera director’s voices over the internal channel control system.
“Jorge, please close the door,” they said. “They are taking over. There are armed people assaulting and robbing the studio. Be careful!” Seven of us in the studio came together to push the armored doors shut with all our strength, hoping it would buy us some time.
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Newscaster hides as armed gunman search furiously for him on the set
With the door closed, I asked my partner Vanessa to call the police. She dialed quickly and I listened as, in a broken voice, she begged and cried for help. We struggled to stop the armed gunmen from opening the door when one of the cameramen said, “Please, Jorge, you have to figure out a way out of here or hide. It is too dangerous for you and Vanessa to stay in the studio.”
On the other side of the armored door, the attackers shouted my name. “Open they door,” they hollered. “We know you are there. We know you are broadcasting.” They pounded on the door, threatening to shoot it down or blow it up with the powerful explosives they carried. Suddenly, the blood rushed to my feet and felt like I was falling.
The two cameramen with us pleaded, “Please, Jorge, get in here and hide. Things are going to get very serious.” I hid, and the remaining group could no longer hold them back. The men pushed into the set wearing hoods and carrying long weapons. Violent and heavily armed, they began to subdue everyone as they looked for me everywhere.
“Jorge escaped,” my colleagues told the men. “He ran away.” Fear consumed me as I prayed, asking God to protect us. Those moments hiding felt like a nightmare with no end – like a horror movie. I only thought of survival. Hiding with me, one of the cameramen began to panic. “Control yourself,” I whispered. “Take deep breaths.” The terror shone in his eyes.
In a standoff with the police, explosives shattered all the windows
As the men continued to break into areas of the newsroom and other offices, terror spread throughout the corridors. I heard screams as they took my colleagues hostage. I knew they wanted to capture a newscaster like me to launch their campaign.
When they entered the control room, pointing their weapons at the producer and camera director, they demanded that the newscast continue rolling. The cameras captured the entire ordeal, broadcasting it live on the news. Turning of the cameras certainly meant death for everyone.
The men began to beat my colleagues including reporter José Luis Calderón. With a gun to his head, they stuffed a stick of dynamite in his shirt and forced him to demand that the police leave the scene. As commotion ensued, the armed men hurled insults, threatening to kill us all. In those 15 minutes of madness, they shot a cameraman and broke another’s arm. Every second felt like an eternity.
Outside, the police surrounded the facility and a tactical group made their way inside. The attackers used my colleagues as human shields while they shot at the police in a deafening exchange of bullets. Suddenly, I heard a roar as an explosive shattered all the windows. Now surrounding the criminals, the police shouted, “Surrender or die!”
Police capture narco terrorists, Latin America on high alert
When the police emerged victorious, they captured every criminal and rescued my colleagues being held hostage. Finally, they found us and instructed, “Come out with your hands up.” I identified myself as Jorge Rendón and said, “Don’t worry, here I am.”
A sense of immense relief flooded through me. In disbelief, I thought about what happened and felt grateful to be alive. I hugged and consoled my colleagues and friends before explaining everything that took place to the police.
In total, the entire two-hour ordeal went live on the air as the police checked – point by point – to find anyone else who might be hiding. For the next 48 hours, we suspended our programming to allow police to continue their investigation, gathering evidence. Outside, they found weapons and explosives.
The difficulty of this experience left me deeply worried. What happened at my news channel can only be described as terrorism, and I believe all of Latin America should be on high alert.
