At the time of this incident, civil unrest was at its height in Chile, both in favor of and against Salvador Allende's policies. General Carlos Prats, Army Commander-in-chief and Minister of the Interior, was responsible for maintaining order in an increasingly polarized country. On 27 June 1973, at about 3 PM, General Prats was being driven to his office in his official car. The animus of the people at the time was such that as soon as he was recognized, he was insulted by people in nearby cars. As Prats' car was at a busy intersection in Las Condes, a then-quiet upper-class suburb of Santiago, a small red Renault car pulled up next to the general and two people inside the car started laughing, mocking him and making obscene gestures. The general asked his driver to hand him his handgun. The minister opened his side window and, pointing at the red car, ordered the driver to stop. Since the other driver ignored him, the general waved his sidearm, demanding an apology at gunpoint. As none was forthcoming, he shot the red car in its left front fender. Both cars immediately stopped and the drivers came out. At that moment, the general discovered that the other driver was an upper-class housewife named Alejandrina Cox. She wore her hair cut short and that had led him to think she was a man. As he was remonstrating with Mrs. Cox, a crowd started to gather, many of whom sided with the woman. Soon the general was being insulted, and his official car was blocked from moving. A passing taxi driver rescued him from the street after his car was covered with graffiti and his tires were slashed. General Prats had the taxi driver take him immediately to La Moneda, where he presented his resignation to President Allende. The president refused to accept it and convinced him to stay in the government. Reports of the incident quickly made headlines on the front pages of the newspapers. The opposition capitalized on the event, accusing the general of cowardice and of losing his self-control by firing at the vehicle of an unarmed woman. The government press defended him, saying that Prats had been provoked and that the incident could as easily have been a failed attempt on his life. The Army general staff publicly backed General Prats, but the controversy surrounding the issue, and existing unrest related to social issues, did not die down.
Importance
The public perception of General Prats as a serious, level-headed bulwark of the Schneider Doctrine - that is, deliberately keeping the army out of civilian affairs - was totally shattered by this incident. This single incident had an effect on Chilean history beyond the episode. General Prats' standing was weakened in the eyes of the officer corps of the Chilean Army, of which he was the Commander-in-chief. Prats and Mrs. Cox eventually made public apologies to each other, but his position was undermined. He remained in office for less than two months after the incident. During that period, he recovered his public standing somewhat by his bravery during the Tanquetazo. After the public protests of the wives of his generals and officers in front of his home on August 22, 1973, he lost more support and subsequently resigned. His resignation as Army Commander-in-chief removed the last obstacle for the Chilean coup of 1973.
