Prison riot in Mexico border city kills 19
MEXICO CITY — Nineteen prisoners were killed and a dozen wounded in the second riot in less than a week at a jail in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, local officials said on Thursday.
Nineteen prisoners have been killed and a dozen wounded in the second riot in less than a week at a jail in the Mexican border city of Tijuana
Some 500 prisoners’ relatives gathered outside the jail, throwing rocks. Police responded by firing into the air and tear-gassing the crowd
“We want better treatment by the authorities” one banner read. “The guards are assassins” said another
Soldiers and police surrounded the building, and a helicopter clattered overhead
Family members trying to find out information on those inside gathered at police cordons and clashed at least twice with security officials
After three hours of rioting, authorities managed to regain control of the prison
“Up to the last count, there are 19 dead and 12 wounded,” Daniel de la Rosa, Baja California’s state police chief, said in a televised news conference following the riot on Wednesday at one of Tijuana’s main jails.
Authorities have regained control of the prison and transferred 200 dangerous inmates to other facilities, Baja California Gov. Jose Osuna said at the news conference.
On Sunday, four prisoners were killed and a large part of the same jail destroyed in a clash between guards and inmates.
Family members of inmates housed in the overcrowded jail had complained of prisoner abuse and local media said the death of an inmate could have sparked the violence.
Tijuana, just south of San Diego, is a major corridor for drug trafficking and has seen violence soar in recent months even as President Felipe Calderon deployed thousands of troops to the city and across the country to crack down on warring cartels.
More than 2,700 people have been killed in drug violence this year in Mexico.
