Peruvian presidential hopeful Rafael Belaunde escaped bloodied but not seriously hurt on Tuesday from an attack by gunmen on his car south of the capital, Lima, police said.
Two gunmen on a motorbike fired “eight or nine” shots at the SUV the 50-year-old politician was driving, and the candidate returned fire, according to police chief General Oscar Arriola.
Three bullets shattered the front window, police said, leaving Belaunde with blood stains on his face and shirt from cuts caused by broken glass, widely seen in images on TV and social media.
Belaunde said the injuries were “scratches sustained after the incident” in the town of Cerro Azul, about 130 kilometres (80 miles) south of Lima.