Good Samaritans inside a Reynosa, Tamaulipas, bank rescued a kidnapping victim as his abductors were forcing him to empty his accounts. The border city customers rushed the suspect, helping the victim escape until the police arrived.
The incident occurred on Saturday morning at the Santander Bank along Morelos Boulevard, El Manana de Reynosa reported. Two men walked in and joined line to approach the tellers. Suddenly, one of the two began screaming that he was under duress and tried to move away from the line.
According to the local newspaper, customers rushed the kidnapper and began wrestling him to the floor. The kidnapping suspect eventually went outside the bank toward a taxi, where he accessed a rifle. He and a second gunman went back to take the victim once again.
Customers and employees managed to hide the victim and sound an alarm by the time the gunmen went back in the building. The attackers later aborted their effort and left in the taxi before police responded to the scene.
The incident comes at a time when Reynosa is a hub of violence as rival factions of the Gulf Cart fight over drug and human smuggling routes. The cartel bloodshed contributes to the U.S. Department of State’s renewed labeling of the area as a “Level 4” destination — the same used for war-torn countries like Syria and Yemen.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.