Mexican security forces bag 6 armed suspects in Coahuila state

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A total of six armed suspects were killed by Mexican security forces in three separate incidents in northern Coahuila state Wednesday, according to Mexican news accounts.

According to a news story posted on the website of El Diario de Coahuila news daily, a unit of the Coahuila state Grupo Armas y Tacticos Especiales (GATE) encountered a suspect who was travelling aboard a Volkswagen Golf sedan in Piedras Negras municipality.  The police unit located the suspect near the intersection of Libramiento Sur and Calle Rio Usumacinta in Nueva Americana colony at around 1700 hrs.

The deceased was identified by fingerprints as José Guadalupe Leija Camarillo, who had escaped from the Centro de Readaptacion Social (CERESO) in Piedra Negras municipality September 17th.  Mexican press had previously reported that many of the escapees were members of the Los Zetas criminal gang.

At the scene police seized one AK-47 rifle, one Barrett .50 caliber rifle, boots, radio equipment and "stars" used to puncture automobile tires.

A second incident took place also in Piedras Negras municipality at around 1830 hrs near the intersection of Libramiento Perez Treviño and Calle Durango in Las Torres colony, where a unit of the Coahuila GATE encountered armed suspects travelling aboard a Mazda vehicle.

Two unidentified suspects died in the encounter and another four were detained at the scene.  Police also seized an AK-47 assault rifle, weapons magazines, radio equipment and "stars".

En Saltillo

In a separate report which appeared in El Diario de Coahuila news daily, in the Ejido Huachichil, about 50 kilometers from Saltillo, the capital of Coahuila state, three unidentified armed suspects were killed and two others were detained following a shoplifting incident at a local grocery store.  Of the two captives, one was identified as an escapee from Piedra Negras, Roberto Elizondo Francisco Lopez.

A group of as many as 14 suspects had entered and had allegedly stolen food from a grocery store, and as they were heading away, they were encountered by a Mexican Army road patrol.  According to the report, the latest incident was on of a series of incidents except the last time was with 14 suspects and was much more violent.

The news story fails to make clear where the three armed suspects died, only that a pursuit took place with suspects attempting to flee into the mountains aboard a Nissan Murano SUV.  The pursuit ended near a gypsum mine near ejido El Esporon, where two suspects were captured and two other vehicles were recovered.

Additional weapons were also recovered at the scene but the description of the haul was not disclosed.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com

Categories: Coahuila, mexican army, shootouts