Antonio Correa Cotto
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Antonio Correa Cotto, also known as Correa Cotto, (1926 – May 16, 1952) born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the first outlaw to gain legendary status in the island.
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[edit] Early years
Correa Cotto was a criminal who robbed anyone and murdered at the slightest provocation. He started his criminal career as a child and by the time he was a teenager he had amassed a long criminal police record. Unlike other criminals who had committed crimes and were generally romanticed, Correa Cotto became known as the "Beast" and created a sense of fear which had the region of Ponce terrorized.
[edit] Criminal career
He committed two murders in Ponce and was sentenced to serve two life sentences in the state penitentiary. At the time of his sentencing, Cotto swore that he would get even with those who testified against him and whom he claimed were responsible for his current situation. On October 28, 1950, Cotto instigated a prison revolt where some of the prison guards lost their lives. Arming himself with guns and ammunition he was able to escape. Cotto made his way to a sector of Ponce called "Villa Olga" where he murdered 10 people.
The authorities organized what was then the largest manhunt in the history of the island and placed a US$10,000 bounty on his head, either dead or alive, which was a first in the criminal annals of Puerto Rico. The police detained over 70 friends and members of his family for questioning and finally on May 16, 1952, the police were forewarned that Cotto was living on a farm in "Barrancas" which is located on the outskirts of the City of Ponce. When the police arrived, they called on him to surrender, but he answered by firing his gun. The police set fire to the sugar cane fields which surrounded Cotto's hideout. He came out firing a gun in one hand and a machete in the other. The police, under the orders of Captain Luis M. Pérez, opened fire on Correa Cotto, killing him.
[edit] Postscript
A total of three movies have been made about the life of Correa Cotto. The movie "Correa Cotto: Así me Llaman" (Correa Cotto: That's what they call me), (1968) produced by Antony Felton, shows the popular impact that Correa Cotto's crimes had on the Puerto Rican society of the 1950s. In "La Vengeanza de Correa Cotto" (The Vengeance of Correa Cotto) (1969), produced and directed by Jeronimo Mitchel and Anthony Felton with the participation of Miguel Ángel Álvarez and Lucy Boscana, the producers attempt to look into the human and intimate side of Correa Cotto.
