Famed cartoonist Jose Trinidad Camacho went public this week revealing how he escaped an attempted kidnapping while driving the Guadalajara-Chapala highway late one night en route to his lakeside home.
The artist who signs his work under the moniker Trino is the author of well-known newspaper comic strips that often poke fun at modern-day social issues – ironically including the series entitled Fabulas de Policias y Ladrones (Fables of Cops and Robbers).
Describing details of the June 11 incident in several media interviews, Camacho explained that he was traveling the outskirts of Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos when a pair of armed men in another vehicle forced him to stop in the road. Thinking he was being waylaid for a carjacking he readily surrendered the automobile, but the highwaymen shouted “It’s you we’re after!” as they went for the grab, pistol whipping him in the face and kicking him to the ground.
Camacho said he went limp, pretending to faint as the men started to drag him towards their getaway car. Just then another vehicle came speeding along, flashing high beams and honking as it passed. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, the cartoonist managed to free himself from his captors, dashing off into the roadside brush, Forest Gump style, he said.
He figures he ran about a kilometer through the fields before bumping into a night watchman standing guard at BuenaVista who kept him safe until authorities came to the rescue. By then the foiled criminals had disappeared, leaving Camacho’s car behind, but making off with a backpack containing his iPad, cell phone, drawings and valuable personnel documents.
He said he finally decided to disclose his close call with the bad guys as a warning to others. “I don’t recommend that anyone drive alone on this road at night.” He was so shaken up by the experience his that he has since undergone psychological counseling and taken extra precautions to safeguard his family.
Nonetheless, he is now settling back into normal life, telling one news reporter, “I am very contented residing in Ajijic, a beautiful paradise.” Bouncing back in typical acerbic style, he commented, “They can steal all your stuff, but not your sense of humor. I’m still at it creating comic strips.”