REYNOSA, Tamaulipas – A man described as a Cuban migrant died in a shootout with police after taking two hostages during a robbery attempt. The Cuban is believed to have taken part in at least 10 other robberies throughout the border city.
The case began on Sunday night when the Cuban migrant reportedly walked into a Pollo Loco restaurant along Morelos Boulevard and fired a single shot to rob the business, El Manana reported. Some of the employees grabbed kitchen knives and charged at the suspect until he fled the scene. On his way out, the suspect took two hostages.
Tamaulipas state police responded to the restaurant and chased the suspect. After noticing the hostages, they called for backup as they followed the man to a nearby property where he barricaded himself. As more police arrived, the gunman released the hostages but then began firing at police. Authorities shot and killed the still unidentified man.
Preliminary information connects the robber’s weapon to at least 10 similar incidents in recent days around Reynosa. In late December, Reynosa saw a spike in robberies and carjackings, particularly in the downtown area. One of the most dramatic cases occurred shortly before Christmas when gunmen shot a U.S. citizen waiting in line at the Reynosa-Hidalgo International Bridge. The victim was sitting in a small SUV when he was carjacked and fatally shot. It remains unclear if the Cuban migrant was connected to the bridge incident.
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.