Arizona family visiting their Sonora condo are terrorized on Caborca highway, "They terrorized us with AK47s'

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat  LaSillaRota Natalie Lines Davis FaceBook TY Steve C

American Natalie Lines Davis, narrated in her profile of Facebook the moments of terror experienced by  husband Mason Davis and their two daughters, when they were assaulted by armed men and then stripped of the vehicle in which they were traveling, on the highway between Caborca ​​and Puerto Peñasco, in Sonora.

On October 6^th around 6pm they headed to their condo in a 2017 Tundra, pulling a 20’ trailer with 3 ATVs, mountain bikes, food and luggage, when they spotted a gray sedan that came up side by side to their vehicle, and through an open window pointed an AK-47 at her husband shouting to stop or they would shoot…………………..

The image above; “When the high jacking took place my daughter was on Snapchat, she didn’t realize until later that she caught the whole thing on video (use this hyperlink). Very chilling and very real.”

What would be a few days of vacation for the Davis family, on the beaches of Sonora , turned into moments of terror when a group of hitmen threatened them with long weapons, to steal all their belongings.

Natalie and Mason Davis, residents of  Mesa,  Arizona,  crossed the border last Tuesday  to enjoy the sea with their two daughters in Puerto Lobos, a coastal community in the municipality of Caborca, where, in recent weeks, armed clashes, business fires and executions have been recorded.

The family owns a condo in this town and they travel there frequently for vacation. This occasion was no different than the previous ones.

However, when they were traveling on the section of the Caborca - Puerto Lobos highway around 6:00, a sedan-type car approached them and a man pointed a "goat's horn" at them, to force them to stop.

There the terror began .

"A gray sedan pulled up by the driver's side door, pulled out an AK-47 and pointed it directly at my husband ... ordered him to stop or they would shoot him. Immediately my husband stopped and they ordered him to get off the road, with a machine gun still pointed at his face, "says Natalie.

The mother of the family described that she and her two daughters were still in the car when the hit man got into the driver's seat, they could not believe what was happening, until her husband's voice broke in the moment to ask the criminal to let them go down.

Before the man answered, Natalie and her daughters opened the doors of the truck and got out as fast as they could. The hit man sped down the road.

"Mason begged the man to let his family out. In seconds, we all made a quick decision and got out of the car immediately. In fact, it was so immediate that as the car drove away, all the doors were still open," he continues.

At that time, the family was in shock. They did not know what had happened, but they were afraid that members of the drug cartels were still in the area, so they ran to take cover in some nearby fields, while her husband sought help.

It was then that a vehicle from a nearby mining company passed by and helped the family. They were transferred to a military post, where they helped them call their relatives and staff from the United States Consulate.

"For a few seconds, I thought this could be part of the cartel too and they wanted our family. Mason quickly assured me that we were safe. Within moments, we were on the phone with Washington and those who could help us. The Consulate of the United States told us that help was on the way, "says Natalie.

The family was already safe, but they could not return home, or to their country, due to the partial closure of the border due to the Covid-19 health contingency, where at 8:00 at night they prevent any entry by the sentry boxes.

The workers of the mining company and the military of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) took them to Puerto Peñasco, one of the cities closest to the border and to the point where they were.

There, they looked for a place in the hotels, but they were already at 100% capacity. Natalie says that a family felt sorry for them and put them in their condominium, from where she wrote this report of the most difficult moments of her life.

"Now here I am sitting in this beautiful borrowed room wearing dirty clothes, without any possessions that we came with and more than grateful for the blessings of this day. My family is safe, our children were not kidnapped, our lives were prolonged and I remember once again that God lives and watches over each one of us, "he wrote.

Sonora State Police and Prosecutor's Office investigate case

The Secretary of Public Security of Sonora, David Anaya Cooley and the commissioner of the State Police of Public Security (PESP) met virtually with the mayor of Puerto Peñasco, Ernesto Munro López, municipality where the American family stayed and were supported.

The authorities agreed to investigate the events that occurred on the road to Puerto Lobos as well as to increase security in this area of ​​the state, known as the Gulf of Santa Clara, which is commonly visited by American tourists.

"In order to give peace of mind to travelers, tourists and residents of Puerto Peñasco, authorities of the three levels of government instructed the displacement of the police forces through that municipality and surrounding communities," says a press release.

Elements of the State Police, the Ministerial Investigative Agency (AMIC), the Navy, the Army and the National Guard participate in these operations.

It should be remembered that, in recent weeks, this area of ​​northwestern Sonora, especially in the municipality of Caborca, there have been clashes between criminal groups, as well as between hitmen and agents of the different police corporations.

In addition, last Sunday morning, the passengers of a bus denounced that armed men got into the unit to strip them of their belongings, where they were held for several hours with guns, on the section of the Caborca - Altar highway. The Sonora Prosecutor's Office is also investigating this fact.