translated from Spanish: Young man beaten on High Bridge: “One of the carabinieri said ‘stop hitting him, this one is already dead'”

As reported La Tercera, on 31 January Matías Soto Ramos handed his testimony to the Southern Prosecutor’s Office after his case became known for a video viralized through social networks where carabinieri officials beat him with the cane police and kicking. The prosecutor in the case, Milibor Bugueño, noted that “It is a rather serious complaint because they are acts committed by public officials who, abusing their office, commit unlawful pressure against this victim.” Soto detailed that on January 29 at around 7:00 p.m., “I went with my friends Carla and Bastian to a peaceful demonstration outside the Metro Protectora de la Infancia in homage to the Colo Colo fan they murdered.” There were between 30 and 40 officers, who arrived in police retensions. They appeared on Av. Concha and Toro from the north and south. They surrounded the demonstrations and began dropping tear gas and pepper spray. People began to escape down Angel Pimentel Street to the east and to the west,” he said. He also said he lost his friends and started running east, where he advanced three blocks and I hope Carabineros pulled from the place. Soto said that “they spent a few minutes and I walked along Nemesio Vicuña street in the direction of San Hugo street. On Calle San Hugo I walked to Av. Concha y Toro, from there I looked towards the Metro Protectora de la Infancia station and saw that the Carabineros vans were still in the place. At one point Carabineros began to move towards where we were, some carabinieri were walking, others in holdings, surrounded us everywhere and again began to shoot.” As I was running I also saw my friend Carla running and from the windows of the Carabinieri vans iwas shooting with compressed air guns at the people we were running,” Soto said. they started chasing them and when he couldn’t escape “a carabnero grabbed me by the neck and tried to get me on a back, I resisted, I didn’t hit him, I just struggled with him. Since he couldn’t get me on the back, he threw me to the ground and started kicking me on different parts of my body and in the head. About eight carabinieri arrived, who also started kicking me and hitting me with lumas. One of the carabinieri at one point said ‘stop hitting him, if he’s already dead.'” I thought I could, I was dazed, I saw everything black,” he added. He then bequeathed red cross essay, who applied first aid to him, and a neighbor put him in his car to take him to Sapu Manuel Villaseca.Soto indicated that “the carabinieri who beat me were dressed as Special Forces, had no visible identification, they were of the 38th Police Station of Puente Alto, since that was said by the retainers in which they were mobilized.” It should be noted that the uniformed institution took the decision to deregister two officers and five carabinieri for participating in these events.

Original source in Spanish