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Armed robberies at P.C. restaurants.

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llseldon
  8/20/2014 12:36 EST

From a Balboa High School '62 class mate living in Panama:
----armed robberies at PTY restaurants.
Well, it is now gone viral. At least 13 of them have been robbed. Security footage shows one case of the bad guy kicking a person in the head..!! A flying kick to the person who was seated. All the assailants had guns.
The police claim to have captured one who is cooperating and spilling the beans......
See: http://instagram.com/p/rx5zgdokBS/ & the video

iguanalover
  8/20/2014 16:49 EST

Thank you for posting this. No place is really safe but what I can do is be aware of what is going on and be cautious. It is like telling me that there are potholes in the road ahead. I would still drive the road but with awareness.

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panamajames
  8/20/2014 17:57 EST

Thanks for the reality check llseldon. Some of us appreciate it.....

GlamBabe
  8/20/2014 18:45 EST

Bravo MaryAnn!

panamama
  8/20/2014 19:53 EST

maryann...one could only hope that you would do exactly what you say.." pack up and go to the US" ..how ungrateful of you!
your ignorance reads as stupidity..
just sayin

panamajames
  8/20/2014 20:38 EST

panamama.........I couldn't have said it better.......some people's kids huh.........just sayin

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capt
  8/20/2014 21:05 EST

Talk about going waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay of topic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

panamama
  8/20/2014 22:01 EST

no maryann i get the point! i believe youre having a problem understanding... i know ignorance blinds people BUT i hope you can see the efforts someone has made to help you stay safe.
Be gracious..
just sayin

volcan357
  8/20/2014 23:33 EST

I have thought about leaving Panama but I don't have that option. Panamanian wife, Panamanian kids, Too much Panamanian property that would be hard to sell and now I am even a Panamanian citizen so it seems that I am stuck here. Oh and I forgot that I have very little social security and depend on several rentals for most of my income. So how could I leave? Too bad about the robberies but at least I don't live in Panama City.

panamajames
  8/21/2014 01:29 EST

Well that is so true of being able to enjoy retirement life and go to restaurants in the interior or in the west and not have to worry about armed gangs coming in to rob you. It is such a shame that Panama City has turned into such a place of haves and have nots and has turned to violence. It sure is nice not to be stuck in my tower for fear of going out. I guess we make our beds and have to sleep in them. I have never thought of leaving Panama........

GlamBabe
  8/21/2014 02:06 EST

Every place in the world including the good ol USA has crime and danger. It is about living your life in a smart way. I would just as soon do that in Panamá as anywhere else. Bit those news reports were disconcerting but not enough to change directions.

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llseldon
  8/21/2014 09:23 EST

See: http://boquete.ning.com/forum/topics/recent-rash-of-armed-robberies-in-restaurants-in-pty?commentId=1434455%3AComment%3A567673&xg_source=activity and be sure watch the video. The offender lower his gun to his side, if the customer know any self defense tactics he could have problem taking the gun away from the offenders, but God forbid if he had shot the offender he would have probably gone to jail. It's about staying safe, we don't live in Ferguson, Watts, East LA, etc. (and frankly I don't care about crime in areas I don't live or visit) it's about being informed. My class mates use of the term viral was his quote, he's Panama & some times uses the wrong English words to express his thoughts, stay safe, stay informed.

BoqueteGirl
  8/21/2014 10:42 EST

I, for one, appreciate being kept informed. Even if it does not pertain to me. If it helps me keep safe while visiting a particular town, I'm for it. Hopefully I will never have to use this information, but it is of some value to some people. Sooooooo, thank-you ALL for keeping us informed. It will not stop me from going to PC, but I will choose how I travel and where I go.

Also, I live in Boquete and do not have bars on my windows, but do live in a gated community. A persons reason for living where they do, is strictly for their personal reasons. We, for one, chose a cooler climate for my husbands health reasons. We wanted the beauty of Panama and a healthier climate for my husband who is fighting stage 4 cancer. We are not stuck in our house and have some very fine restaurants here. Not to mention, wonderful neighbors who look out for us when needed.

I'm sure you all LOVE where you live and that is a wonderful thing. It would be sad to move down here and not like where you live.

Again, many thanks to ALL.

panamajames
  8/21/2014 14:29 EST

I agree Boquete Girl. No bars on my windows.....but I don't live in a gated community.........the restaurants here are so amazing, not so many fast food places, which is great. Great mom and pop restaurants as well as the fancy ones in Boquete. It is very fresh and cool here in Boquete. I still go to Panama City now and again, but it is such a relief to leave and get back home. This has been an on going discussion for year about where the best place in Panama is to live, and it's different strokes for different folks. Learn the areas, the drawbacks, the attractions, then stay for awhile. It is very difficult to find rentals in Boquete in high season, near impossible in fact, so do book early, a year in advance if you are coming. Boquete is still one of the busiest places around and you can hardly find a parking spot downtown. There are more folks moving here every day it seems, and as for our rentals, we're booked solid, except for a few sparse weeks here and there. Many expats on this forum have stayed with us and I am sure many more will. We have the most fabulous view spot in all of Boquete............

panamajames
  8/21/2014 17:20 EST

Gang Hits Panama City Restaurants
August 19, 2014

A group of criminals with extensive rap sheets held up at least 11 Panama City restaurants this month.

Police say that the armed Panamanian gang’s modus of operandi is to arrive in rented cars and make off with the restaurant’s cash register, as well as client phones, wallets and jewelry.

Businesses attacked include Brujas de Cachiches in Obarrio, El Tambal on Vía Porras, Peskito and El PIloto in San Francisco, Hacienda Real in Bella Vista and Rana Dorada and New York Bagel Café in El Cangrejo.

Authorities report that they have identified the six members of an El Chorillo gang as the attackers and arrested two, including one minor.

Panama’s Association of Restaurants is working with the police to install silent alarm systems and increase police presence in vulnerable areas.

tetero
  8/21/2014 18:33 EST

It's no big news. It went on the news now because they started robbing white guys restaurant or the so called yeye's. All the robberies in small businesses in the past has gone unnoticed.

panamama
  8/21/2014 22:38 EST

maryann...are you really going to compare your highrise , americanized , breakfast buffet pty experience to living in Boquete?? Now thats funny!
Theres crime everywhere in the world! what exactly is your point?

jonoyakker
  8/22/2014 08:06 EST

Ok chldren, now back to the real topic:
FIVE MORE suspects with alleged links to the criminal network that has led a series of assaults on restaurants and bars in the city of Panama have been arrested.

A source close to the investigation told La Prensa on Thursday, August 21, the operations were carried out in conjunction with the National Police and the arrested are all adults.The arrests bring to 13 the total number of people detained for their alleged involvement in the robberies.
Prosecutors filed charges against three of the suspects for crimes of aggravated robbery and possession of firearms.
A criminal gang is accused of having committed at least 11 armed robberies at different shops and diners hit several assaults committed during the last month.
On Wednesday, the director general of the National Police, Omar Pinzon met with restaurant owners and the administrator of the Tourism Authority of Panama, Jesus Sierra Victoria, to explain how it will work henceforth safety in commercial premises in the country and announced the creation of a "Restaurants Watchers" program, which will join the " Hotel Vigillantes",seeking to reduce robberies at restaurants and bars in the capital city.

__._,_.___

panamama
  8/22/2014 09:25 EST

I mean ,even if they are caught and arrested... If theyre underage the cops hold them until their parents pick them up. If they are considered adults...what kind of jail time are they really looking at? they are most likely released and back at the same game again...the judicial system in panama does not offer a rehabilitation option for those who may be able to be "saved"..
The general population of panamanians believe in staying silent , not reporting the person or crime commited.. why? the fear that the criminal will seek revenge.
I know these events have happened in the past and its not because the criminals attacked the 'yeye" that its now being publicated more.. Its because the "yeye" report the crime and go after the criminal, demand that something be done without allowing fear take over.(i think).
maryann...there is no panama city or boquete envy here. i reside in both areas and both have their pros and cons. Its the people that make the place.
The breakfast buffet that im referring to is the one they offer in your building complex daily...

tjo50511
  8/23/2014 09:42 EST

News Flash! This is happening everywhere! As I wait for my much anticipated move to Panama I live in the midwest portion on the United States. I am not a policeman but I work in a technical support role for Public Safety. The increase in home invasions, murders and armed robberies is quite disturbing. It is spreading from the big cities to smaller communities. Moving back to the US would not get you away from crime, if anything, it would increase your risks. The police may be more likely to catch the bad guys (not really convinced of that) but you are probably more likely to become a victim. You can lessen the chances by moving to a safer area, but you can do that in Panama too.

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