The crisis deepened early this week when Adolfo “Fito” Macias, a notorious gang leader, mysteriously vanished from a prison cell in Guayaquil. This incident catalyzed a wave of violent episodes across the nation, including uprisings in several prisons and kidnappings of guards by inmates.
In a startling escalation of the unrest, a group of armed, hooded men stormed into the studios of TC Television in Guayaquil during a live broadcast, taking staff hostage and engaging in a gunfire exchange with police. The siege, which was broadcast live, ended with the police apprehending the assailants.
