Episode 143 - Omar Garcia Harfuch Ambush

Executive Protection and Secure Transportation Podcast

Welcome, everyone to the International Security Driver Association’s Executive Protection and Secure Transportation Podcast.

After a two-year hiatus, the podcast is back!

Every week we send secure transportation and executive protection, headlines, trends, educational content, and announcements from the International Security Driver Association and SecurityDriver.Com to our Podcast audience. You can find notes for this episode over on https://securitydriver.com

In today’s podcast we’ll be discussing Omar Garcia Harfuch ambush.

During Tony Scotti’s 45 years and, for the past 18 years, Joe Autera of Vehicle Dynamics Institute, have conducted forensic analysis on countless vehicle attacks. As they have in the past, Joe and Tony are currently analyzing the Omar García Harfuch Ambush that took place in Mexico in June of 2020.

International Security Driver Association members Mark Caldwell and Gerardo Corona have contributed invaluable data and metrics to ensure the accuracy of the upcoming Forensic Analysis.

In the past, they have used forensic science and engineering principles to determine the cause of a vehicle ambush. The analysis is based on a rigorous, disciplined approach to identify the problem that causes the event. They test all scenarios for accuracy. They measure maximum speed, the path the vehicle takes, vehicle performance, sight distance, and come up with the cause of the event followed by lessons learned.

An example of past analysis is the Cantu Ambush. Rodolfo Torre Cantu was a physician and politician running for governor of the Mexican State of Tamaulipas. While driving in a non-armored two-vehicle convoy he was ambushed and assassinated.

If you’d like to download for free the Cantu ambush go to https://isdacenter.org/cantuambush

On June 26th at 6:35 AM, Mexico City Police Chief Omar García Harfuch was ambushed in his armored Suburban. The ambush occurred at the intersection of Monte Blanco and Av. Paseo de la Reforma. The attackers drove a large truck followed by a Suburban, out of AV. Monte Blanco and blocked the intersection as García Harfuch was driving on towards AV. Monte Blanco.

As we share this information in the podcast, Joe Autera and the VDI team have recreated the Harfuch ambush scenario using one of their B6 Suburban’s. The analysis is underway, and the report is forthcoming in a future podcast. In the interim, we offer this quick outline of the attack followed by comments and opinions covering surveillance detection, armored vehicles, the driver, attack site and offer some suggestions.

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