Authorities in Mexico arrested and then released one of the sons of notorious drug kingpin, Joaquin “El Chapo” Gunzman Loera, during a violent shootout Thursday, The New York Times reports.
What We Know:
- Thirty soldiers reportedly took control of a home in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa State. They arrested four men, including one of El Chapo’s sons, Ocidio Guzman Lopez, who is now a leader in the Sinaloa cartel.
- Cartel gunmen surrounded the house and opened fire prompting the soldiers to free Guzman Lopez. The shootout lasted well into the night.
- At least eight people died in a series of gun battles across the city, including one civilian, one member of the National Guard and five attackers. At least sixteen people were injured.
- Many of the Cartel gunmen were seen in the video below wearing ski masks blocking the street. Others wearing street clothes and bulletproof vests surrounded a group of uniformed soldiers who they had apparently subdued.
- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who vowed to crack down on the violence and corruption of the cartels, views this as a setback and an embarrassment as a president.
President Obrado said, “All eyes will be on Lopez Obrador, he is not in control!”
