At least 30 inmates escaped during a large-scale prison riot-turned-gun battle in the Mexican border city of Juarez, where 14 died on New Year’s Day. The fatal victims include prison guards and inmates.
The riot started in Ciudad Juarez, just south of El Paso. According to El Economista, 10 prison guards and four inmates died by gunfire. Infobae reported that 30 inmates escape amid the chaos.
Preliminary information revealed that at approximately 6 am, a convoy of six vehicles including armored SUVs rolled up to the prison and began shooting their way inside. Inmates began rioting, torching mattresses and fighting with guards. By late Sunday, authorities claimed to have regained control of the facility.
As the riot was taking place, local officials warned the public to stay indoors in case violence spread to other parts of the city.
A motive for the riot remains unclear, however, the state-run prison houses inmates from the Sinaloa and Juarez Cartels.
In August, Ciudad Juarez saw a similar episode when rival gangs within the Sinaloa Cartel carried out a large-scale riot for control of the prison. In the aftermath, gunmen carried out attacks against civilians. In total, 11 individuals died at the hands of cartel gunmen, including two prison inmates. The murdered victims included a radio crew and innocent bystanders outside a pizza shop.
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.
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