Editor’s note: This article has been updated with information released by the Baja California State Attorney General’s Office on Saturday evening:
UPDATE: SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — An “exchange of gunfire between rivals in organized crime” left 10 dead and nine wounded during an off-road vehicle race on Saturday afternoon about 90 miles south of the border, according to the Baja California State Attorney General’s Office.
Baja California Attorney General Ricardo Iván Carpio released a statement late Saturday saying evidence found in the getaway car shows the assailants were hit by bullets when the racers returned fire.
Blood was found inside the car and the vehicle was riddled with bullets, Carpio said.
Initially, Carpio and his office said the victims were all parked in their “dune buggy” style race cars when several armed men jumped out of a late model SUV and started firing striking the racers.
The attack happened around 2 p.m. Saturday along the Transpeninsular Highway in the small town of San Vicente.
“With these findings, we can determine this incident was the result of a confrontation between suspected criminals who shot at one another,” said Carpio. “The people being targeted repelled the attack and returned fire.”
The racers were taking part in a race called the “Cachanillazo” that began earlier in the day in the city of Ensenada. The finish line was in San Felipe on the Gulf of California.
Several videos posted on social media show bodies on the ground while police walk around conducting an investigation.
In one particular video, a woman can be seen running into a building as multiple gunshots are heard in the background.
The identities or nationalities of the victims have not been made public.
Mexico’s Red Cross transported the wounded to hospitals in Northern Baja California.
ORIGINAL POST:
SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Gunmen shot and killed 10 drivers and wounded nine others taking part in a road race on Saturday afternoon about 90 miles south of the border, according to the Baja California State Attorney General’s Office.
According to a news release issued by the AG’s office, the victims were parked in their “dune buggy” style race cars when several armed men jumped out of a late model silver SUV and started firing at the vehicles.
The ambush happened around 2:15 p.m. Saturday along the Transpeninsular Highway in the small town of San Vicente.
The racers were taking part in a race called the “Cachanillazo” that began earlier in the day in the city of Ensenada. The finish line was in San Felipe on the Gulf of California.
Several videos posted on social media show bodies on the ground while police walk around conducting an investigation.
In one particular video, a woman can be seen running into a building as multiple gunshots are heard in the background.
The identities or nationalities of the victims have not been made public.
Mexico’s Red Cross transported the wounded to hospitals in Northern Baja California.
