7 – The Great Donkey Robbery Doesn’t Go As Planned
When robbers plan a heist, one of the main considerations is a getaway vehicle. Ideally, you will have a ‘wheelman’ outside who is ready to move as soon as you enter the car with the loot. When you get it right, you could be miles away before the police arrive at the scene. If you make a mess of it, you practically arrest yourself.
Three criminals who committed a grocery store robbery in Juan de Acosta, Colombia, in January 2013 learned the importance of a clean getaway the hard way. First, the trio of thieves stole a 10-year-old donkey called Xavi. Apparently, they believed he would make a good getaway ‘vehicle’ as their main target was a local grocery store.
The robbery at the grocery store was reasonably successful as the gang broke in at 2 am and pilfered rice, oil, rum, sardines and other goods. The next step was an utter disaster. They loaded their plunder on the back of Xavi in the hope that he would quietly walk with them out of the town. However, the angry donkey had other ideas and started braying loudly. At that stage, the police were not even aware a robbery had taken place, but the noises made by Xavi brought them to the scene.
Knowing the game was up; the three fools ran away and abandoned their loot which remained on Xavi’s back. The unfortunate donkey was detained for 12 hours in the local police station before finally being released. Although all the stolen items were returned to the store, the thieves were not caught.