Three weeks ago while driving from Mexicali to San Felipe about a 1/4 mile south of El Major someone threw a 5 pound rock at my car hitting the
windshield on the driver side. The rock penetrated and nailed me in the chest, I awoke in the ditch. My vehicle fortunately stayed upright. I was
able to get back on the highway, dazed I asked 3 Mexican guys in a 80's model blue chevy s-10 to help me, not realizing these were the guys that
probably were the culprits as when I asked for help they looked at me and smiled and took off, I think they took off because 2 gringos stopped to see
what had happened.
Turns out this has happened to other people as well and the federal police are patrolling more in that area.
This ocurred at 1:30 p.m. I suffered a cardiac contusion and fractured sternum 5 days in El Centro ICU.
Hope they catch these guys
[Edited on 11-11-2009 by doradodan]bajalou - 12-1-2006 at 01:21 PM
Thanks for the report. Living in San Felipe, I hadn't heard of this before.Cypress - 12-1-2006 at 01:32 PM
Jeez! Glad you made it. Must have been one terrible experience. It'd be nice to able to drop the hammer on those dudes.BajaWarrior - 12-1-2006 at 02:11 PM
Catch those scumbags and hang em' high. I travel that highway often and have never had a problem, yet.
I will keep a better eye out for such activity. Thanks for the heads up and I'm happy for you doradodan that you are with us today and able to report
this incident.FARASHA - 12-1-2006 at 02:13 PM
Or drive a Hummer across them - unbelievable this things seem to get worse.baja829 - 12-1-2006 at 02:28 PM
Not to diminish what happened to you, this should have been entitled "ASSUALT", since it was one incident. If however, more than one occurred, they
should be listed as well. All information of this type is extremely important and pertinent. You are indeed fortunate that you were able to survive
such a senseless and stupid attack and you are wished a speedy recovery.
Of late, the biggest problem on this highway has been excessive speed. Several people were killed over the holiday, in just one accident - riding in
the back of a pickup, when they were rear-ended by an SUV. Mexicali has assigned a substantial number of additional police all along the route and at
this point are ticketing for speeds in excess of 55. This will make the trip longer, but safer for drivers and not too attractive to those types who
have bad intentions. I truly hope yours was an isolated incident, as we have always been more concerned with driving around LA than Baja, but as we
read these posts, times are changing.Hook - 12-1-2006 at 02:35 PM
Read the original post closely. It had happened to others recently, according to the victim. I suppose he found this out when he dealt with the
police.Ken Cooke - 12-1-2006 at 06:37 PM
Thanks for keeping us aware of these incidents. I'm glad you survived and are well enough to type about it.wornout - 12-1-2006 at 07:13 PM
Hook, thanks for straighting out why the word is justified being plural in this case. It always amazes me why people don't 'RTFQ (Read The Friggin
Question) before shooting off criticism.oladulce - 12-1-2006 at 11:44 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by doradodan
This ocurred at 1:30 p.m. I suffered a cardiac contusion and fractured sternum 5 days in El Centro ICU.
Oh man, I bet it doesn't tickle to laugh, cough, or ... breathe.
If you feel the urge to sneeze come over you, be sure to shout out: "Quick, I need a hug". This will help to splint your chest and should lessen the
pain. Plus, you deserve more than a few hugs after this ordeal. I'm sorry you've had to suffer because of something so senseless.
And 1:30 in the afternoon sort of blows the whole Baja traveler's credo of how it's not safe to drive at night.Iflyfish - 12-2-2006 at 12:20 AM
Thanks for the heads up!
I am so sorry that this has happened to you. Terrrifying! This crap makes me want to spit
I have traveled that road many times in the last three years at all hours. We have a house just north of there. Two weeks ago we were going down at
about 11:30 at night and about a mile north of there a car was pulled off the side of the road. It was a old blue station wagon They blinked their
lights at us like they wanted us to stop but We kept going. There was a house only a few hundred yards away and I figured that if they needed help
they could walk. I hate to leave people who are broke down but at thet time of night I don't think it is wise to stop unless you can clearly see the
people in need.
Anywhere you travel you have to use common sense. I wouldn't have stopped in the states either in the same curcumstance.
I hate to hear about this happening in our area. I wonder if anyone has a discription of the car they were in. That area is a small community and if
we had a discription I could get the word out. I think the good local people would help to catch these people. If anyone hears anything let me know
and I will talk it up around there.
MickDiver - 12-2-2006 at 09:10 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by MICK
I wonder if anyone has a discription of the car they were in. That area is a small community and if we had a discription I could get the word out.
Mick
"a 80's model blue chevy s-10"
.Capt. George - 12-2-2006 at 11:25 AM
until the federalies start kicking some ass. this will continue and get worse.
Baja and its people will ultimately suffer the consequences.
hope the feds and local policia wake up. gp
Been There Before
MrBillM - 12-2-2006 at 11:44 AM
Back in the mid-late 80s, there was a rash of night-time assaults on vehicles travelling between Mexicali and San Felipe. The bad guys were, at
times, blocking the highway forcing drivers to stop and then robbing them. I don't recall ever reading about anyone being arrested, but the events
finally died off. Nevertheless, that's when I stopped driving that highway in the late hours. No point in taking a chance.
[Edited on 12-2-2006 by MrBillM]BajaWarrior - 12-2-2006 at 01:43 PM
These incidents were also happening on that same stretch of highway but closer to the sand dunes at Laguna Salada about 12 years ago. My neighbors
Joe and Karen in Playa Hermosa were pulled over late at night, he was driving, she was sleeping in the back of their van. He thought it was the police
as they had a flashing red light on their vehicle. They made him get out of the van and they took most of the contents and left the van. They reported
it in town to the police, and from what I was told, not too much after that they arrested two Policeman from El Golfo for these crimes against Joe and
Karen and others that had been robbed.
It was just after that, that the Army showed up and started inspecting vehicles. Many Nomads here remember the Army post at the sand dunes.
So its odd that none of the Army checkpoints aren't manned right now.meme - 12-2-2006 at 04:54 PM
Its a Mexican Holiday again Due to getting the new presedent in so maybe like the election time the Army doe not work? I thought it was only one day
but some busineses are observing two days.bajalou - 12-2-2006 at 06:05 PM
I've heard no army checkpoints in operation in Baja right now. Is it possible they were sent to Mexico City to control any problems that arose from
the inauguration?gnukid - 12-7-2006 at 12:45 PM
I was assaulted by banditos in the same manner, just one year ago, this time of year on the road from La Paz to Los Plannes only about 4km out of La
Paz (soriana) just past super mini palapa tienda, on the same I road I drive every day. It happened on a friday night at 8pm. I had picked up some
friends and it was their first day here on their way to La Ventana for a honeymoon. I saw some people at the edge of the road waving flashlights and
trying to get cars to pull over off the road. I was slowing down to see if I could help then I realized it wasn't looking good, that is they didn't
look like regular folks and seemed drunk so I decided I wouldn't be stopping for them and I sped up as I passed them they hurled large boulders
exactly at my position in the driver's seat. Glass flew everywhere and unfortunately into the faces of my friends and I but I realized we survived and
I continued to the next tienda to call police and on to our destination.
I thought it was odd that they choose to do this so close to the town and stores but when I told the store owners and police they said yes there doing
it more and more often? It's crazy that mexican police in la paz are inept and complacent about crime-many are criminals.gnukid - 12-7-2006 at 12:55 PM
This week we are having a rash of robberies in the area of Marina La Paz by two guys in a white ford truck. They stop people walking and act like
undercover police and ask a bunch of questions and ask to search you then they steal your money. My friends and coworkers have been robbed. I have
seen them doing this all day in broad day light but what am I going to do? Pull them over with my fake secuirty guard badge and my white truck? Well I
am looking for them anyway to take their photo for the police. Unfortunately the police are going nuts this week too looking for any chance to bug
people to get their money for x-mas. It's hard to sleep, I wake up and look out the window often and all night long there are sirens going off though
who knows... it could be a religous celebration?QuePasaBaja - 12-7-2006 at 06:00 PM
Sorry to hear that happened to you. I sent you a U2U.Minnow - 12-7-2006 at 06:16 PM
I was once almost tricked by the fake inspection trick just south of San Felipe. Several men pointing flashlights at the ground and wiggling them
around. I am glad we didn't stop. I never thought I would say it, but thanks Doug Bowels.gnukid - 12-7-2006 at 06:59 PM
Here some good news I think. I finally realized today all the police action in my neighborhood (Manglito La Paz) is just that--heavy police presence.
The police have been running around and showing up in huge groups along Rangel St and Topete in La Paz in the colonia Manglito which is near the
water. Many times they basically come into the neighborhood from all directions at the same time like a net.
I was having a thanksgiving dinner and some were parked in front of my house in my parking spot so I pulled up behind them and asked if I should wait
to park there, the officer replied "si un poquito tiempo". I looked in the window of the truck and each officer had 5 guns in their laps, including
what looked like m16s-typical? Last night sirens began going off at about 4:30 am in what seemed like my bedroom and a lady announcing over loud
speaker "cuidar sus ninos, cerar sus puertas, buscando para .... " or something like that. Then they continuned like that with sirens and trucks and
announcements for about an hour. I thought it what an excercise for fun but in the morning I found out they followed some robbers to their house then
raided it and found the stuff and drugs and took them away. This has been happening every few days. Although it is a little stressful seeing so many
cops I realize that ther'e doing good work here with a strong focus on cleaning up the area by catching the bad guys... for some reason somebody wants
this area cleaned up wooo hooo.
Maybe the are going to catch the fake cops and the bad cops too!!!
