A paparazzo who was beaten and left with a broken arm after taking pictures of Hollywood stars Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne in Argentina claimed it was a “miracle” he survived the attack.
Pedro Alberto Orquera was attacked by British film producer Josey MacNamara and Jac Hopkins, who fumed at the paparazzi when they saw him snapping pictures of their starlet pals at a celebrity restaurant in Buenos Aires in the early hours of Sunday morning who ate at a celebrity restaurant in Buenos Aires.
The two reportedly chased Orquera outside the restaurant and slammed him onto the concrete before attempting to smash the paparazzi’s camera.
Orquera, who suffered multiple lacerations and a broken arm in the attack, told Argentine broadcaster TN he was able to protect his equipment and the valuable footage he captured, but at a significant cost.
“I suffered brutal aggression… My life was miraculously saved, I don’t know what would have happened if I had fallen headfirst to the ground at the speed these people were chasing after me,” the photojournalist said.
“They never took my stuff from me… when I fell to the ground [the camera] was smashed, but I was able to save the material.’
MacNamara and Hopkins were arrested by police and taken away for questioning after the aggression, while Robbie and Delevingne fled the scene.
Orquera, meanwhile, was placed in a neck brace and taken to nearby Argerich Hospital in the Argentine capital, where he remains after initial treatment and awaiting surgery on his badly broken arm.
He told TN his arm was badly injured and it’s not known if he’ll be able to regain full use of his limbs.
“I have a cast on my right arm, my arm is very affected and I don’t know if I’m going to lose it,” he claimed.
Cara Delevingne (left) and Margot Robbie (right) together at the Samsung Experience at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016
Josey MacNamara and Margot Robbie at the Oscars in Los Angeles last April
Photographer Pedro Alberto Orquera suffered a broken arm in the incident and is now awaiting surgery
Margot Robbie is pictured in Argentina on Friday September 30 – two days before the attack on Orquera
The A-list actresses had gotten into a car outside Argentine celebrity chef Francis Mallmann’s restaurant around 3am on Sunday morning when the Orquera incident happened.
The photojournalist’s presence angered MacNamara and Hopkins, who gave chase and eventually caught up with the fleeing paparazzi, throwing him off balance and throwing him to the ground.
The impact of the fall shattered his right arm and he suffered a series of lacerations.
“I started running from them because they were hitting me,” Orquera told The Sun. “As I ran from them, they kicked me so hard my camera blew up and I fell to the ground, injuring my arm.”
Witnesses are said to have called the emergency services when the altercation broke out after it became clear that Orquera had sustained serious injuries.
Meanwhile, police took the British filmmakers in for questioning, after which they appeared in court on prosecutor’s orders on charges of “serious injuries”.
A police report seen by The Sun shows that MacNamara and Hopkins told officers Orquera was “responsible for his own injuries” because the two actresses had not agreed to be pictured.
Robbie and Delevingne, meanwhile, chose to leave the filmmakers behind and flew to southern Argentina just hours after the attack.
Orquera plans to file a lawsuit against his attackers, claiming that the injuries he sustained from their aggression would prevent him from working.
“That’s the most unfortunate thing [about the attack] is that it makes me immobile, unable to work or move,” Orquera said.
“I won’t be able to work anymore and I don’t know if I’ll get my arm back the way it should be.”
Web has reached out to Robbie and Delevingne for comment on the alleged incident.
Orquera was attacked after he was seen taking pictures of Robbie and Delevingne leaving the Patagonia Sur restaurant (pictured) early Sunday morning
The actresses are said to have eaten at the Patagonia Sur restaurant (pictured) in Buenos Aires before the attack
Margot Robbie was close to tears as she left a West Hollywood home in September, just hours after meeting Cara Delevingne in Los Angeles. It comes amid rumors that Delevingne has health concerns following a string of absences from major events and erratic behavior
The starlets reportedly became close in 2016 while working on the DC Comics-inspired Suicide Squad film, in which 32-year-old Robbie gained considerable notoriety for portraying the racy Harley Quinn, while Delevingne played a character named Enchantress.
The couple traveled to Argentina earlier last week after attending Paris Fashion Week events and Robbie was spotted in Argentina on Friday, stopping to take pictures with some fans.
The attack on Orquera during the starlets’ stay in Argentina comes less than a month after Robbie was pictured leaving her close friend’s West Hollywood home, seemingly in tears, amid rumors that British supermodel Delevingne was struggling with health problems had to fight.
Delevingne, 30, missed the launch of her fashion collection honoring the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, which took place in early September at the chic Saga restaurant in New York City’s Financial District.
Delevingne was also absent from the September 13 Emmy Awards, where her castmates on the series Only Murders in the Building were nominated for a slew of awards.
A source close to the Delevingne family told The Sun that the star has been struggling and has “lit the candle on both ends” lately.