No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrime24-year-old US tourist shot in Costa Rica robbery gone wrong

24-year-old US tourist shot in Costa Rica robbery gone wrong

On Saturday night, assailants robbed three U.S. tourists in Costa Rica’s capital San José in an attack that ended with one of the victims rushed to Calerdón Guardia Hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) told The Tico Times that the 24-year-old victim, Leah Britton, was in stable condition on Monday.

Britton and two other tourists were walking in the Los Yoses neighborhood in eastern San José around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday when they were approached by men traveling in a gray car. Four suspects reportedly in their 20s stepped out of the vehicle and threatened the group with a gun. The attackers stole cash, cellphones and passports before telling the victims to lie on the ground.

An OIJ spokesman said Britton, after handing over her belongings, refused to lie down. One of the suspects then shot her. The attackers then fled in the same gray vehicle.

Britton was admitted to the Calerdón Guardia Hospital in the capital.

Jorge Zúñiga, spokesman for the OIJ, told The Tico Times that the police agency recommends robbery victims follow attackers’ orders and avoid fighting. Zúñiga added that suspects often are armed, and resistance could dangerously escalate a situation.

He added that Los Yoses, a neighborhood in eastern San José with many hostels, is not known as a dangerous part of the capital, and although robberies are rare, they do occur.

As of this post, OIJ investigators have not recovered any belongings or identified the four suspects. The investigation is ongoing.

Popular Articles

Driving in Costa Rica: An Expat’s Journey Through Potholes and Patience

I was too young to drive when my family moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, but even as a passenger, I remember the comments....

Costa Rica Expat Tells Tale of a Rogue Traveling Preacher

One of the first places I lived in Costa Rica was a small town in the Southern Zone. My son had been born just...

Fly Direct from Detroit to Liberia, Costa Rica with Delta’s New Route

Starting on December 20, Delta Airlines will connect Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) with Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) in Liberia. This new weekly...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait

Latest Articles