An alleged attack with muriatic acid on the tires of a vehicle sparked a war of accusations and defamation between two neighbors living in Los Chaguaramos, Libertador municipality, in Caracas.
Fernando Fossi, an officer with the Bolivarian National Police Force and also coordinator of the Community Outreach Office of the San Pedro Parish Community Police Service, told the team Últimas Noticias that a 79-year-old retiree arrived at the police station as a complainant against her neighbor, a 59-year-old shopkeeper.
The woman said she received a threatening voice message via WhatsApp from the accused. In the message, the accused confronted her about a liquid the woman had poured on the tires of her vehicle, which was parked in the building's common parking lot.
The complainant explained that it was just water and vinegar, a mixture she used to clean the area, but her neighbor interpreted the act as a deliberate attack. She recounted that the neighbor had spread a serious accusation in the building's WhatsApp groups, claiming that the spilled liquid was muriatic acid, a corrosive chemical that damages paint and tire rubber.
According to the affected woman, the rumor spread throughout the community, damaging her reputation among the other residents. She explained that the other woman involved even took a picture of the tire as evidence and sent it to various groups. She also reported that the shopkeeper owns three dogs, two of them pit bulls, and takes them for walks in the common areas without muzzles, causing concern among the neighbors. Given the situation, Fossi decided to summon both women to a conciliation process.
Workplace Mediation
The hearing took place at the San Pedro Community Police Service facilities, with the women present and the officer acting as facilitator. The 79-year-old woman expressed her desire to end all contact with her neighbor. “I don’t want anything more to do with that woman, she shouldn’t even speak to me,” she stated during the hearing, making her position of complete estrangement clear. She explained that she used vinegar and water to clean the common areas because of the bad smell caused by cat urine.
The 59-year-old woman insisted it was muriatic acid. However, she did admit to sending the audio message: “Ma’am, if I find out you poisoned her, you’re going to have a legal problem.”
During the two-hour meeting, the mediator reminded those involved that the condominium board was already aware of the conflict, but that the community police were the appropriate forum to provide a formal and peaceful solution.
They were told that the objective was not to determine who was right, but to prevent the situation from escalating to acts of physical violence or criminal complaints that could worsen their lives in the building.
Commitments
After hearing both sides and assessing the risks of living together in the same building, the parties agreed to sign a commitment agreement with four clear and binding points. The first is that both agree not to physically, verbally, or psychologically harm each other.
The second is that there must be no harassment or persecution of any kind between them. The third is that the parties involved agree not to involve third parties in the issues being addressed by the Community Police Service. And the fourth is that both agree not to defame each other in any way.
The applicant was satisfied with the agreements, as her main complaint was the cessation of defamation in WhatsApp groups and the end of the fear generated by unmuzzled dogs.
The woman accepted the commitments and acknowledged that sending the threatening audio message was an impulsive reaction to what she perceived as damage to her property. She also agreed to buy muzzles for her pets for the safety of her neighbors.
Both signed the document before the acting official, who warned them that, in case of violating the agreements, action would be taken in accordance with the law.
Regulation
The case falls under the Ordinance on Citizen Coexistence, Civic Responsibility and Community Peace Justice of the Libertador municipality, which in its article 13 establishes that "to assume an ethical and civic conduct avoiding any action, omission or manifestation contrary to public order, respect for people and their property, in consideration, tolerance and recognition of their rights."
The regulations are also emphatic regarding the keeping of domestic animals in Article 30. The legal text mandates the use of muzzles for species that pose a danger to citizens. The ordinance also refers to respect, cooperation, and solidarity among citizens as values that foster healthy coexistence within the city.
The legislation in detail
- Defamation. According to the Venezuelan Penal Code in its article 442: “Whoever, communicating with several people, gathered together or separately, has imputed to any individual a specific act capable of exposing him to public contempt or hatred or offensive to his honor or reputation, shall be punished with imprisonment from one to three years and a fine.”
- Animal ownership. Article 30 of the Ordinance on Citizen Coexistence, Civic Responsibility, and Community Justice of the Peace of the Libertador Municipality stipulates the obligation of pet owners to ensure the control of their animals in common areas, using a leash and muzzle in the case of breeds considered dangerous. Failure to use these measures constitutes an offense that may be punished with fines.
- Hazardous liquids. According to Article 18 of the Community Coexistence and Peace Ordinance, actions that threaten other citizens and their belongings, such as throwing liquids, waste, or any type of objects or substances at people or property, are punishable.
- Sanction. Any person who engages in any of the aforementioned conduct will be sanctioned with a fine equivalent to the payment in bolivars of 30 to 50 times the official exchange rate of the highest value currency set by the Central Bank of Venezuela.
