Supreme Court Upholds Sentence for Police Officer Who Faked Robbery to Steal Weapons and Ammunition

Original article: Suprema confirma condena a carabinero que fingió asalto a retén para robar armas y municiones

The Supreme Court has dismissed the nullity appeal filed against the sentence convicting police officer Iván Ronald Tapia Maturana to effective prison terms of 4 years and 3 years and one day for the crimes of misappropriation of public assets (government firearms and ammunition) and unjustified firearm discharge, both committed in March 2020 in La Ligua (Valparaíso Region).

The ruling was unanimous (case number 57.781-2024) and issued by the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court, which included ministers María Teresa Letelier, María Cristina Gajardo, prosecutor Jorge Pizarro, and attorneys (i) Juan Carlos Ferrada and (i) Andrea Ruiz.

According to the first-instance ruling, it was established «beyond a reasonable doubt that around 1:15 a.m. on March 2, 2020… an undetermined group of individuals arrived at the Carabinero station in Valle Hermoso, located at Esmeralda Street No. 3550, La Ligua, to steal various firearms and other items stored in the station’s armory.»

«These individuals acted in concert with Iván Ronald Tapia Maturana, an active police officer who was in charge of the guard at the station at the time of the events and was the only officer on duty at that post, overseeing the entire unit and the safekeeping of the armory and its contents, which were properly inventoried and kept under lock and key,» the resolution adds.

In this context, the ruling states, the officer in charge «took advantage of his watch duty and custody of equipment and other police items, consenting to allow the individuals to steal fiscal items from the armory, thus facilitating the execution of the act.»

Later, while the officer and the unidentified person were handling a bag containing items from the police station to put it into the cabin of vehicle Z-8128 parked in the yard, «Sergeant Roberto Carlos Manríquez Pereira arrived near the station in Z-5050 along with his driver José Quezada Hernández, who used the vehicle’s horn to request the opening of the gate, a sound that alerted Tapia Maturana, who left the bag with the items in the Z-8128 cabin as the unidentified individuals fled with some stolen items.»

Fake Assault

To execute the theft, the investigation established that the officer and his unidentified accomplices feigned a robbery at the Valle Hermoso station, with some of them even graffitiing the walls of the police facility.

«In that situation, Sergeant 1° Roberto Manríquez Pereira left the station in pursuit of one of the suspects down Esmeralda Street, reaching the corner of Colón where the criminal fired at him, managing to flee, and simultaneously Officer Tapia discharged his service weapon unjustifiably into the public street with the sole purpose of simulating a supposed confrontation with the assailant,» the ruling specifies.

Meanwhile, other police officers in the station found the bag previously handled by Tapia and the aforementioned unidentified individual inside the cabin of vehicle Z-8128.

«Finally, it was established that the following items were stolen and not recovered: one (1) Taurus brand pistol, model pt-917, 9mm caliber, serial number TEZ01799, with one magazine; one (1) Taurus revolver model 82-s new, .38 caliber, serial number DS234089; at least (14) 9mm war cartridges, Magtech brand; eight (8) .38 cartridges, Magtech brand, items valued at approximately $403,000,» concludes the ruling.

The Citizen / Cover Photo: Referencial (archive)