One of the most forgettable films of the 1980s is Weekend at Bernie’s, a dark comedy involving a convoluted plot whereby two insurance analysts attempt to conceal the death of their boss by parading his dead body around in slapstick situations, including passing him off as a live passenger in a vehicle. A similar situation was encountered by members of Fuerza Publica, Costa Rica’s national police force, as they responded to a shootout in a rough neighborhood of San Jose.

 

Fuerza Publica officers operating near Libertad II, a rough neighborhood in Pavas, heard gunfire in the vicinity and immediately rushed to the scene. It was 1:15 am on Sunday when a patrol car signaled a speeding vehicle to pull over, but the response from the Nissan Almera sedan was a hail of gunfire followed by screeching tires as suspects tried to leave the scene. Although a bullet struck the windshield of the patrol car, the officers were undaunted and returned fire, effectively ending the pursuit.

 

The officers than tactically approached the vehicle and dragged three males suspects out: Two Nicaraguan immigrants and a Costa Rican national. All three suspects have lengthy rap sheets involving felony offenses such as armed robbery and unlawful gun possession. The officers noticed that two of the suspects had gunshot wounds as a result of the firefight; one was hit in his left thigh and the other in his gluteus. As designated officers rendered first aid and handcuffed the suspects, others searched the vehicle and found the pistol used to fire at their patrol car. Nonetheless, they also made a gruesome discovery as they looked in the rear seat of the Nissan, which by this time was riddled with bullet holes and stained by blood: The dead body of a male, who appeared to have been executed of a single bullet to the head.

 

Although the body of the victim was propped up in the backseat, his hands and feet were tied, and a plastic bag had been crudely placed on his head. A cursory identification of the body from witnesses indicated that he was a career criminal knicknamed “the Fat Man,” whose various crimes included trafficking in controlled substances at a retail level. The injured suspects were taken to the San Juan de Dios Hospital and later were kept in custody by orders of prosecutors in San Jose.