Ecuadorian journalist José Luis Calderón never imagined that his image would go around the world as one of the protagonists of a tragic scene: a long gun was pointed at his neck, and dynamite was also placed in his jacket pocket, during a live broadcast, last Tuesday (09).
In the week in which the invasion of TC Televisión, one of Ecuador's main television stations, and the kidnapping of the channel's workers shocked the world, reporter José Luis Calderón received the CNN at his home in the city of Guayaquil.
For security reasons, the journalist asked that the interview be filmed against a white background and that his residence not be identified.
A worker at the channel for 23 years, he says that the attack happened on a normal working day, when the journalism team was on alert due to the state of exception decreed by the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa.
The measure was taken after one of the most dangerous prisoners in the country, Adolfo Macías, known as Fito, escaped from prison last Sunday (7).
The escape generated a wave of violence, which ended up reaching the TC Televisión studios. During a news broadcast, the team began to hear screams and noise.
“We didn’t know what it was about. A survival instinct made me and two colleagues seek refuge, and we found the news department bathroom. We stayed there for 10 to 14 minutes, listening to noises, screams, complaints”, says Calderón, explaining that while they were hiding, they called family members and rescue teams.
But the group was discovered by several hooded men with long weapons, pistols and even an ax, often pointed at the canal workers. “Under threats, they took us to the place where the signal was fixed, which was where the news was broadcast from,” he says.
On the way to the studio, he says that the men ran their hands over his colleagues' bodies and stole chains and other valuables. “The group of hooded men held us hostage in the studio area, with the signal in the air,” he says, remembering that the doors were closed.
Calderón explains that the news presenters were able to hide, but the technical team, producers and cameramen were not. Everyone was kept on the ground, but one of the criminals recognized him and asked him to get up to send a message. This was the moment when a long gun was placed against the presenter's neck.
He says he felt pressure from the tip of the gun: “I made a movement [para trás] to keep me away [da arma]”, he says, saying that he even felt the explosive that the criminals placed in his suit pocket. “I felt calm. At some point I even interacted with the kidnapped person and said: 'do you want me to communicate something?' But they were playing on camera, making gestures, displays of emotion, of strength, of superiority,” he recalls.
He says that the kidnapping began to fall apart when the police fired at the studio doors: “Shots were heard from the other side, it was the police trying to enter this airtight room (…) everyone dispersed, we threw ourselves on the floor, my companions were screaming so that the police would not fire because we were in the middle of this situation, as the kidnappers fired back.”
One of the bullets ricocheted and hit the leg of a cameraman, who is out of danger. With the imminent police invasion, the kidnappers went into hiding. When the group of hostages finally managed to leave the TV, with the help of the police, and began to identify themselves, they discovered that one of the criminals was camouflaged among them: “He had stolen clothes from the wardrobe area and when counting began, he ran away. , to everyone’s surprise”, he recalls, saying that the man was chased by police and military personnel.
Calderón says that, before the episode inside the TV studio, he had already had a gun pointed at him twice during live broadcasts on the street. “I had two armed robberies and robberies and I had an idea of the seriousness of the risks we face as journalists. But this was on the street, we would never imagine that in our stronghold they would attack our physical and emotional integrity”, he analyzes.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
