Chile's Gendarmería suspended six officials, including the facility head, following the escape and recapture of an inmate from Colina II Penitentiary Center. National director Rubén Pérez blamed the incident on a chain of grave administrative failures. The prisoner was detained three days later in Lo Espejo.
On Sunday, November 23, 2025, at 17:30, Amílcar Olivares Cárdenas, 46 years old and charged with robbery with intimidation, escaped from the Colina II Penitentiary Center in the Metropolitan Region. According to Gendarmería, the inmate evaded penitentiary controls by jumping the facility's fence.
Three days later, on Thursday, November 27, Carabineros recaptured him in the Lo Espejo commune during an identity check on Presidente Salvador Allende and Padre Hurtado streets. The man initially refused to identify himself, leading to his transfer to the 11th Police Station. There, his identity was confirmed as Amílcar Lester Olivares Cárdenas, the wanted fugitive. He was then taken to a medical center for injury assessment and placed at the disposal of the Public Ministry.
Immediately after the escape, Gendarmería launched an administrative inquiry to investigate the circumstances and responsibilities. On Friday, November 28, national director Rubén Pérez announced the suspension of six officials, starting with the facility head. "Regarding administrative responsibilities, due to inexcusable negligences in procedures and internal protocols, which facilitated the subject's evasion from Colina II, an administrative inquiry was ordered that resulted in the immediate suspension of six officials," Pérez stated.
The director described the events as a "chain of garish failures, unjustified," and confirmed the start of notifications for the retirement of those involved. This action aims to strengthen internal protocols and prevent similar incidents in Chile's penitentiary system.