The situation in Los Ruices earlier in the day did turn out to be a big mess. A National guard solider and a pro-government supporter died there today. I saw a picture of a person with what appeared to be a fatal head wound in Valencia also from today, but I haven’t been able to confirm that yet.
At around 12:25 PM Caracas time, a large group of government supporters on motorcycles (a so-called colectivo armado) appeared near the Los Cortijos subway station in Los Ruices, Caracas. Here they are:
El Universal, a large newspaper in Caracas, reported at the same time that the disturbance in Los Ruices was occurring “between civilians”, presumably meaning between the colectivo and the protesters.
Here is another shot of that disturbance, this one showing what appears to be a vehicle on fire near the exit of the Los Cortijos subway station:
Another shot of the same vehicle fire from a different angle:
Simultaneous to the confrontation in Los Ruices, another colectivo clashed with protesters near Manzanares, which is located in the south of Caracas. The confrontation resulted in a brush fire:
Another shot of the fire:
Back in Los Ruices, at around 12:45 PM, National Guard troops arrived on the scene. Here they are below, in the center of the picture in green uniform. Members of the colectivo can be seen at the top left of the screen. Note that they are not uniformed:
At the same time, witnesses in the area began to report that the National Guard was not doing to stop members of the colectivos who were allegedly opening fire on buildings in the area. Here is another shot of the same disturbance at around the same time as the previous picture:
And here is another shot, also from Los Ruices, showing individuals on motorcycles in close proximity to the National Guard. It has been pointed out that many of the bikers are wearing red, the color of the PSUV:
At around 1:15 PM, the National Guard troops in the area of Los Ruices were reinforced by a group of National Guard trucks:
At around this time, some members of the colectivo in the area began to attack nearby buildings. Here is a picture of a group of men attempting to enter a building. Note the building is called “Res[idencias] los cortijos a”, as in, “Los Cortijos Residences, A Tower”:
The men were successful in breaking into the building. This is a picture taken from inside the lobby after the men had been inside:
As of 7:42 PM, the National Guard was still present in Los Ruices, as this picture shows:
Here is a video of a colectivo breaking into an apartment complex in Los Ruices today, apparently at around 6:00 PM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqjCXLJIhOw
And here is a video taken from an apartment in Los Ruices, looking out onto the main demonstration shown in the pictures above.[/url] Here is what the man says in the video:
“They’re coming. And the police are up there, and they don’t say anything or do anything. It’s obvious they’re on their side. Look, they’re torching the car! They’re putting… look at the car! They’re putting… yeah, I’m filming it. They’re torching the car. They broke the window, they’re putting oil on it. Look! They lit it already. I can see the flame. They’re burning the car. Those are Maduro’s “motorizados de la paz” [“The peaceful bikers”, as Maduro refered to them], here in Los Ruices. How peaceful their way of protesting is! Peace and love! They [the police/guard] are not doing anything! A bunch of criminal bikers there on the corner and they [the police/guard] don’t do anything. Torching cars, breaking car windows. There it is, the car is burning. And [what you’re seeing] is people who aren’t from here [this neighbourhood], people who came on bikes with the National Guard, and there they are. Here they come again. There’s a burning car. I don’t know whose car that is.”
And here is the first picture taken of Leopoldo Lopez in custody at the Ramo Verde military prison:
Maduro is taking flak from the opposition today because they are holding him responsible for “inciting a confrontation” on account of some remarks he made yesterday. They’re referring to this bit Maduro said yesterday:
“Today, small groups tried to burn and block major roadways. I call upon everyone, the Bolivar Chavez Battle Units, the Communal Councils, the social movements, communes, youth, workers, campesinos, women, I call on everyone to carry out, out there in your own communities, the orders of our commander Hugo Chavez: fire that starts, fire that we put out [candelita que se prenda, candelita que apagamos]”
Venezuela continued its descent into chaos today.
In Venezuela 