Manuel Pellegrini and His Wife Mugged at Gunpoint in Chile
New West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini and his wife Carola Pucci are recovering after being held up at gunpoint by armed robbers in Chile on Saturday evening.
The pairing were on their way to an unnamed restaurant with friends before being ambushed by the men, who are believed to have stolen the 64-year-old's wife's bag not long after the couple left their car.
According to The Mirror, the armed robbers then attempted to escape following the arrival of police in a stolen Porsche Cayenne by throwing down road spikes and one discharging his weapon.
The incident took place near a shopping center called Casa Costanera in an upmarket suburb of the Chilean capital Santiago, Vitacura.
Despite the seriousness of the event, everyone involved escaped injury-free, including the perpetrators, who are said to have made off with the handbag before ditching their getaway vehicle - which was later found after a police helicopter had been mobilised in the chase.
The handbag, which was believed to belong to Carola Pucci, was also recovered by the officers; however, they refused to elaborate on whether it indeed was Pellegrini's wife's or the female friend who they were also with.
Following the incident, the West Ham boss, appointed in May following the departure of David Moyes, thanked his native country's law enforcement via Twitter, stating: “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 as soon as possible.”
At the time of the report, no arrests had been made.
