A gunman was killed after opening fire on Tijuana police during a vehicle pursuit Monday. He also tried to escape in a stolen patrol car.
Municipal police in Tijuana attempted to stop a grey Chevrolet Equinox for excessive speed in Las Delicias neighborhood on Monday morning at approximately 10 am. When the driver refused, a vehicle pursuit began and police came under gunfire from the driver, according to the Secretary of Public Security of Tijuana Marco Antonio Sotomayor.
Pursuing police returned fire and the pursuit ended in colonia Ejido Francisco Villa after backup officers blocked escape routes with numerous patrol vehicles. The driver exited his car and immediately fired again on officers who were attempting to close in on him. During the ensuing shootout, police took cover behind patrol vehicles blocking the road. The shooter was able to sneak into the driver’s seat of one patrol unit while exchanging gunfire and attempted to flee again—but officers eventually shot and killed the suspect, according to local media reports. The identity and motives of the gunman were not formally announced.
Tijuana is mired in a bloody turf war involving Cártel Tijuana Nueva Generación (CTNG), aligned with El Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, against the Sinaloa Cartel. Most of the killings are fueled by the street-level sales of methamphetamine. Cartel hit teams operate daily against rival dealers.
In 2018, Tijuana broke its all-time record for homicides with 2,518. The violence continues into 2019.
2019 Tijuana Homicide Totals Per Month
January – 220
February – 145
March – 150
April — 183
At least 22 killings were registered over the weekend ending May 5 and at least seven more were reported Monday, bringing the unofficial total for the year to 727.
Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.)