Mexico Trucker Online

Federal police opened fire on municipal cops in the northern city of Torreón early Monday, killing at least one and arresting about 30, said the city’s mayor.

Mexican news reports characterized the pre-dawn altercation as a firefight between federal and local police officers. Federal authorities had no immediate comment.

The incident began when federal police detained two Torreón officers and 28 city patrol vehicles responded to a call for backup, said Mayor José Ángel Pérez by phone Monday afternoon.

“It appears (the arrested officers) were discovered mixed up in a problem with a truck that was in an irregular situation,” Pérez said. “We don’t know if it was for drugs or why. … We don’t have the official information.”

Pérez said it was unclear why so many patrol vehicles answered the call for help. After the incident, he fired the city’s chief of police for not being able to control the officers.

“There was a confrontation but we don’t know if there was a (shooting) response from our police,” the mayor said.

The federal public security ministry, which oversees the federal police apparently involved in the shooting, provided no information on the incident. A spokeswoman for the federal attorney general’s office said the detained city officers were being held for questioning but no charges were announced.

SOURCES: Sean Mattson San Antonio Express News
El Siglo de Torreon