West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has reported in “unharmed” after he and his wife were mugged at gunpoint in Chile over the weekend.
The 64-year-old had apparently been back in the country less than 24 hours when he was targeted by the armed thieves, who struck while the Pellegrinis were making their way to a restaurant in the Vitacura district of capital city Santiago.
Thankfully, the Hammers have since confirmed via a spokesperson that both Pellegrini and his wife are safe and sound and the Chilean police are now attempting to track down the criminals responsible.
Pellegrini himself also issued a Tweet to thank the local constabulary for their “quick and courageous” response.
Felicitaciones a @Carabdechile por su rápida y valiente reacción. Agradezco el apoyo de la gente. Ojalá se le otorguen mas facultades a Carabineros para solucionar el tema de la delincuencia lo antes posible.
— Manuel Pellegrini R. (@Ing_Pellegrini) June 3, 2018
Santiago police official Carlos Villarroel told the press:
A couple of policemen, who were patrolling the sector, heard the cries of the victim and went to their aid.
When confronted by police, the criminals fired several shots. However, no injuries were recorded.
According to Chilean newspaper La Cuarta, Pellegrini’s wife had her purse stolen before the thugs fled in a car, which was found abandoned a couple of hours later.
Again as per the aforementioned publication, the investigation is ongoing.