It was a day like any other at the TC Television studio in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The mid-afternoon newscast was underway when the masked gunmen burst in, unleashing at least 15 minutes of threats and fear — all broadcast live. First a man with a pistol appeared in the middle of the public TV station’s live transmission. Then a second man entered the frame with a shotgun, then a third and more. With the show’s “After the News” name on the country’s screens, the station’s employees were brought onto the set and ordered to lie down. The unprecedented assault on the TV station followed the apparent escapes from prison of two of the leaders of Ecuador’s most powerful gangs.
