Abelardo de la Espriella arrived in Santa Marta wearing a bulletproof vest and patrolled the streets: “We’re going after all those bandits.”

On Tuesday, September 22, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella patrolled the streets of Santa Marta in the Colombian Caribbean alongside members of the Public Force.

The deployment was undertaken in response to a surge of violence in the city, which has been attributed to the paramilitary group Autodefensas.