A man of Bolivian nationality was beaten to death by neighbors in the Buenos Aires town of Ezpeleta after driving drunk and mounting the sidewalk with his vehicle. According to local media reports, the foreigner, identified as Richard Flores Mercado, 36 years old, was driving on Avenida Florencio Varela and Calle 125, in the Quilmes district, intending to get to his home. However, the driver, who was under the influence of alcohol, crashed into a sign and the crates of a grocery store, but no pedestrians were injured.
Neighbors and shopkeepers began to insult him until one of them landed a fierce punch that knocked him out. The moment was recorded by a witness's cell phone and went viral on social media. "It was a cowardly aggression." Additionally, the attackers demanded that he "go back to his country" and accused him of "disrespecting everyone," while he was discriminated against for his nationality.
This Thursday, the man, originally from the Bolivian city of Cochabamba, was buried, and his mother traveled specifically to say goodbye. The Embassy of the Plurinational State of Bolivia expressed its "deep dismay" over the man's crime and stated that it occurred in "xenophobic circumstances." "Given the seriousness of the events and in defense of human rights and non-discrimination, Bolivia requests the competent authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation to clarify this incident, punish those responsible, and adopt preventive measures," the letter states.
Finally, they emphasize that "they will follow up with the relevant authorities to clarify this unfortunate incident." Flores Mercado is seen being very drunk and leaning on his vehicle when he receives the beating from the attacker, causing him to collapse. The attack continued on the ground, friends of the victim indicated on Facebook: "Richard was killed with a punch, without anesthesia. It wasn't a bar fight, it wasn't a fair fight."