José Gabriel Leguizamón Díaz, 38 or 39, known as "La Vaca," was captured on the morning of Sunday, August 31, in Lambaré, following a high-speed chase with gunfire that began on Asunción's Costanera Sur and ended near the Cementerio Municipal de Lambaré. The police operation left Guadalupe Yamile Simón Pérez, 25, dead; she had been riding in the vehicle with the fugitive.
The incident unfolded during an athletic marathon on the Costanera. Leguizamón was driving a Kia Sportage SUV and struck a Municipal Traffic Police (PMT) barrier protecting the runners, nearly hitting an officer. Officers from the 2nd Metropolitan Police Station and the Lince Group then gave chase.
During the escape, the driver performed dangerous maneuvers, rammed a police patrol car, pushed through the race course putting athletes at risk, and collided with a Lince Group motorcycle before being apprehended at the boundary between Asunción and Lambaré. Along the way, an exchange of gunfire struck Guadalupe Simón Pérez, who was taken to a local hospital — sources differ between Barrio Obrero Hospital and Hospital de Lambaré — where she died.
Prosecutor Luis Chamorro of the Public Prosecutor's Office took over the investigation and revealed that the leading hypothesis, based on initial forensic evidence, is that the fatal shot came from a police weapon. "The suspicion is that the bullet came from the Police because we did not find any weapons in the possession of the detainee or in his vehicle. We did find bullet holes in the vehicle he was driving, whose trajectory coincides with the victim's body," the Public Prosecutor's Office representative said. The weapons of ten officers who took part in the operation were seized for ballistic analysis, and the agents underwent nitrite and nitrate testing.
Although the detainee was not carrying a firearm, the Public Prosecutor's Office maintains that the main criminal liability for the young woman's death will fall on Leguizamón under the charge of intentional homicide with eventual intent, for having exposed the victim to a situation of extreme danger.
Leguizamón Díaz, considered one of Paraguay's most wanted car thieves, had at least 13 arrest warrants outstanding, with some sources reporting up to 17, including an international notice issued by Bolivia for vehicle theft. He has prior convictions for aggravated robbery, aggravated theft, endangering traffic safety, and intentional homicide, as well as involvement in a recent crime in the Bañado Tacumbú area of Asunción. He had previously been arrested in Bolivia in 2017 for attacks on parked vehicles in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
On Sunday night, hours after the capture, unknown individuals attempted to set fire to the seized SUV in front of the 2nd Metropolitan Police Station, where it remained in custody as evidence. A witness reported seeing a gray vehicle stop near the impounded car, from which a person got out, hurled a burning object, and fled. The swift intervention of police and firefighters prevented the total destruction of the vehicle. Security cameras from the police station and neighboring properties are being reviewed to identify those responsible.