Tourists Shot At in Central Mexico While Riding Passenger Bus

A group of tourists who were traveling from the northern Mexican border region to western Mexico came under fire in the central part of the country during an apparent highway robbery attempt.

The incident occurred this week along one of the main highways in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi when approximately 40 travelers riding in a bus from Transpais came under fire. Unknown gunmen fired at the bus several times in an attempt to get the vehicle to stop. However, the driver refused to stop and kept driving until they could reach safety. The attack comes as highways in the central part of Mexico, primarily in San Luis Potosi, have been plagued by robberies carried out by teams of gunmen who focus on commercial cargo trucks but have also targeted regular motorists.

The passengers began their journey in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and were traveling with a tour company called Pata de Perro. The group planned to travel to Guadalajara, Jalisco, as part of a tour. However, neither Transpais nor Pata de Perro has released any statements since the attack.

Highway robberies and kidnappings have become a significant concern in Mexico in recent months, particularly in the border state of Tamaulipas. As Breitbart Texas has reported, after numerous cases of cartel gunmen stopping buses for robberies and kidnappings of passengers, the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros issued two separate travel alerts. Instead of carrying out any security operations to safeguard travelers, officials with the Tamaulipas government claimed that the U.S. Department of State was wrong and that the region was safe.

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.