Bus blockade in Bogota leaves 30 civilians, 2 reporters injured

Photo: Diario ADN)

A civilian protest broke out in Bogota as commuters grew tired of waiting for a bus and started blocking a bus terminal, leading to violent clashes with the police, local media reports.

After waiting almost an hour in the vestibule of a TransMilenio bus terminal in Bogota, a group of 20 commuters decided to stand and lie in front of the entrance of the station to prevent bus passage, national newspaper El Tiempo reported Wednesday.

Police came, using both stun guns and tear gas to disperse the crowd. During the clash, cameramen and civilians were subjected to aggressive police force, which was caught on video.

The protesters blocked the street in front of the TransMilenio facility for over two hours before moving on to block other roads. The unrest started in the southwestern Bogota neighborhood of Tintal, and later moved to the Banderas station. Bogota’s mayor Gustavo Petro later released a picture of the alleged leader of the protest.

MORE: Bogota paralyzed amid public transport protests

After the first two hours tempers flared. The protesters were angry with the waiting time, and the bus drivers were angry because they couldn’t do the job the crowd was demanding of them. According to El Tiempo, one bus driver was spat on and assaulted with sticks and stones.

 

El hombre de la chaqueta amarilla es el que dirige el sabotaje a Transmilenio de esta mañana pic.twitter.com/57zSgKT4fu

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) 6. august 2014

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