Pellegrini and wife held up by armed robbers
NEW West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini and his wife are recovering after being held up by armed robbers who shot at police before escaping.
The couple were mugged on Saturday evening as they headed to a restaurant with friends.
Thieves stole a handbag thought to belong to Pellegrini’s wife Carola Pucci before shooting at police who tried to stop them from speeding off.
They escaped in a stolen Porsche Cayenne, later found abandoned.
The terrifying incident happened near a shopping mall in the upmarket suburb Vitacura of the Chilean capital Santiago.
No one was hurt in the drama, even though the armed robbers threw road spikes down to stop police chasing them and one fired a weapon.
A police helicopter was mobilised in the hunt for the criminals.
Officers recovered the stolen handbag. They also said the Porsche, taken just a fortnight ago, had false number plates and had probably been stolen to order. The manager and his wife were targeted just seconds after parking their car, as they walked towards the restaurant.
Santiago-born Pellegrini, 64, tried to calm the criminals down as they pointed their weapons and demanded valuables.
Police chief Gonzalo Munoz said: “They fired two shots at officers and threw road spikes down to stop them following as they sped off.”
Pellegrini, appointed as West Ham’s manager in May, thanked Chilean police – known as Carabineros – in a tweet.
He said: “Congratulations to @Carabdechile for their speedy and brave reaction. I’m also thankful for the help of locals. I hope they give the Carabineros more resources to solve the problem of delinquency.”
Local Pedro Hernandez replied: “Criminality has been out of control in Chile for some time. That’s the perception citizens like me have.”
No arrests have yet been made.