Gastón Machado, 24, faces multiple charges and has been put under arrest until April after he took hostages in a beauty salon in a posh area of the Uruguayan capital Montevideo. The man reportedly stormed into the salon where his ex-partner was, along with 14 other people, including her co-workers, clients and the owner, and demanded to talk to his former lover, El Pais reported. When the owner ordered him to leave, he took out a revolver from his backpack, shouting “he had a devil inside” and that he was going to kill them all, proceeding to hit the girl and the salon owner.
When the first police arrived, he ordered that the curtains be closed, broke the glass of the main entrance door and fired several shots at the police. According to the salon owner, who spoke to local broadcaster Teledoce, the attacker said that "he had a voice in his head, felt that he had two people and that there were times when he could control it".
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However, the salon owner also revealed that at some point, the man sat on the floor looking at everyone and asked for forgiveness, saying that he was not going to do anything to them and that he was there because he was afraid of being killed.
During the 5-hour standoff, he also found time to make a few calls, including ones to his relatives, filmed an address with his cell phone. In the video, the man is seen waving his revolver and pointing it at the girl, accusing her of being unfaithful.
“Here we are with these beautiful people, with this little wh**e who betrays. Look, look, this liar who betrayed me…And now she is going to die. We're all going to die. Look how we are here. I love this. That's what I didn't want. That's what this bi**h is looking for”, he said, as cited by The Daily Mail.
He even posted it on social media before a negotiator convinced him to surrender and free the hostages after signing a symbolic agreement.
El Pais quoted the man’s ex-partner’s friend as saying that the attacker had experienced mood swings following their breakup, and that she had even pleaded to his parents to force him to undergo treatment. However, forensic experts concluded that he was fully aware of his actions and could be put on trial.
Apart from the explanation of having a broken heart, there were also rumours that the ex-girlfriend’s brothers had kidnapped Machado’s brother prior to the outburst. However, police sources have denied this information.