BajaNomad - 3 officers die in Tijuana/Rosarito Beach. 8 arrested in Rosarito, with GRENADES

3 officers die in Tijuana/Rosarito Beach. 8 arrested in Rosarito, with GRENADES

Woooosh - 7-7-2009 at 09:43 AM

Glad to see this event over. 8 arrested, with 3 grenades. That would have been very bad. Looks like the dog Teo is running out of bite...

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/08/bn08arres...

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/07/bn07tjcop...

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/07/bn7jdead0...

2 officers die, one wounded, in Tijuana shooting
By Sandra Dibble
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
12:24 a.m. July 7, 2009

TIJUANA – Two police officers were shot and killed Monday night, one in Tijuana and a second in Rosarito Beach, and a third suffered a gunshot wound, all within a span of less than two hours.

The shootings set police agencies on high alert throughout the two cities amid fears that the assaults could continue.
The first incident took place in the southern district known as La Gloria, where an officer was found fatally shot about 7 p.m. in the back of a police vehicle, according to the Baja California Attorney General's Office.

The agency received reports that the officer had been attacked by hooded gunmen. A Tijuana police source identified the victim as Geronimo Jimenez Calderon.

About 8 p.m., a Rosarito Beach police officer was ambushed inside his patrol vehicle by assailants in a sport utility vehicle while he was working in a residential neighborhood several blocks east of the toll road. He was identified as Ruben Villegas Bartolini.

The attack occurred just minutes after another officer was attacked blocks away by the same group, a source in the Baja Attorney General's Office said. That officer was not injured, the source said.

A fourth attack was reported at 8:30 p.m. when gunmen fired at a Tijuana officer on a busy thoroughfare in eastern Tijuana. He was wounded in the leg.

Police have been targets of criminal groups as President Felipe Calderón's administration has waged an unprecedented campaign against drug gangs. In April, gunmen killed seven police officers in an hour's time.

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TJ Policewoman shot dead outside hospital
By Sandra Dibble
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
7:58 p.m. July 7, 2009

TIJUANA – A police officer was fatally shot Tuesday morning outside the Red Cross Hospital, the third killed since Monday night in Tijuana and Rosarito Beach.
The officer was identified as Eva Sanchez Cruz, 40. She was killed as she stood guard outside the hospital, where a fellow officer was being treated for a gunshot wound. He was shot Monday night while working outside a store in eastern Tijuana.

The attacks come on the heels of detentions of drug-gang suspects linked to Teodoro Garcia Simental, a trafficker known as El Teo. Investigators believe the attacks may be in retaliation for the recent arrests, said a source at the Baja California Attorney General's Office who asked to remain anonymous because he is not an official department spokesman.

Gunmen have been going after vulnerable police targets – officers assigned to guard duty. The two Tijuana officers attacked in separate incidents Monday were members of auxiliary and commercial sections of the police department who guard businesses. One officer was fatally shot.

In Rosarito Beach, an officer was shot and killed Monday as he was responding to a call for help from a 20-year-old female officer, a member of a tourist assistance unit who had survived an attack at a restaurant, authorities said.

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Eight suspects arrested in deaths of Baja police

UNION-TRIBUNE
8:07 p.m. July 8, 2009

TIJUANA – Eight suspects linked to deadly attacks against municipal police officers in Tijuana and Rosarito Beach this week have been arrested and taken into military custody.
A statement issued Wednesday from the Second Military Zone in Tijuana said the suspects worked for alleged drug trafficker Teodoro García Simental, known as El Teo.
The suspects allegedly carried out Monday's shootings that claimed the lives of two officers and injured a third. The suspects range in age from 21 to 37.

An anonymous report about the presence of heavily armed individuals led to their detention in Rosarito Beach, the statement said. Seven rifles and three hand grenades were seized.

A third officer was shot to death Tuesday morning.

links and article updated...

[Edited on 7-8-2009 by Woooosh]

[Edited on 7-9-2009 by Woooosh]

Von - 7-7-2009 at 10:02 AM

They need to be more careful! That really sucks!

arrowhead - 7-7-2009 at 01:10 PM

A woman police officer guarding the TJ Red Cross was shot dead this morning and two more police nearby wounded.

Woooosh - 7-7-2009 at 01:14 PM

when it gets to five an hour- we'll know the war in on... Maybe it's the same lady cop who ran over the tourist with her quad the other day. That incident never made the news stateside- did it? Torres is going to have a tough time blaming the media this time.

I hope his condotel was full last weekened- because this is the last nail in the coffin for the summer tourist season and real estate sales. Time to put the Tequila Dance Project video on prime time to save tourism!

[Edited on 7-7-2009 by Woooosh]

teadust - 7-7-2009 at 01:17 PM

Sadly it looks like the hits just keep coming...

On the front page of Frontera's website, report of attack Tuesday morning on police who were guarding (?) the Cruz Roja agency; Google Translation:

"Municipal police officers who resgurdaban facilities Tijuana Red Cross were attacked by an armed group around 11:30 am this Tuesday. One of the guards, a police woman, died later while receiving medical care, the other officer was unhurt."

teadust - 7-7-2009 at 01:20 PM

There is mention of a threatening note left by the attackers, in article on Frontera when reporting about the officer shot at La Gloria:

"A un lado del cuerpo del oficial se encontraron varios casquillos de diferentes calibres, así como una cartulina, en la cual al parecer se escribió una amenaza de que habría más policías asesinados si no se cambiaban los mandos de la corporación."

("On one side of the body of the officer found several shells of different calibres, as well as a card, which apparently was written a threat that would have killed more police officers of not changing commanders in the corporation. ")

Woooosh - 7-7-2009 at 01:24 PM

Why do that many police guard the Red Cross facility?

Probably an 'off duty' job.

Dave - 7-7-2009 at 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh
Why do that many police guard the Red Cross facility?

They're at most all public facilities. The police department has a nice little protection racket. :rolleyes:

teadust - 7-7-2009 at 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave
They're at most all public facilities. The police department has a nice little protection racket. :rolleyes:

And hospitals and clinics near the borders have a nice little problem with their doctors getting kidnapped, and, while treating gunshot victims, having thugs come in to the emergency room guns blazing to finish off said victims. Some doctors were threatening to strike unless they got some security at the hospitals; I'm hard pressed to blame them...

Woooosh - 7-7-2009 at 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by teadust

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave
They're at most all public facilities. The police department has a nice little protection racket. :rolleyes:

Oh yeah- I forgot about that part. I think the narcos have their own doctor network- but their victims are easy to find and finish off. Maybe the lady cop killed was waiting outside to finish off the tourist she ran over a few days earlier.

Woooosh - 7-7-2009 at 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by savethefish
I am sure glad things are getting back to normal there. For a month or so , I was worried peace was going to break out.

What a complete nightmare this is. You can kiss real estate and tourism goodbye .

Yeah. I was just starting to leave the house again. The bad part for us expats is that while the cops hide in their homes from the narcos there is no police protection for anything or anyone else. Torres needs to call the Army in. Tourism and real estate is donecfor this summer- stick a fork in it.

Woooosh - 7-7-2009 at 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by savethefish
they do not look out for the gringos in the best of times let alone these dark days. I am sorry for your situation Whoosh as I would guess there are many more folks just like you who are scared in their own homes.
Lets hope for better days and stay safe..

We're not scared, just self-imposed prisoners. I'm not a target to this group- but they don't even aim their AK-47's and if you are near a cop car- it won't be pretty. They are on their Mexican Jihad- they'll be back to the drugery of kidnapping in a few months.

No, this isn't what we signed up for retiring here, but we deal with. It took a serious mindset change- but we deal with it. We also built a secure house and have good neighbors who watch out for each other. Have no pity- we are here by choice.

bacquito - 7-8-2009 at 10:01 AM

Quote:

Your right! I frequent Ensenada and it is rare to see a tourist, Many shops closed in the tourist zone, few foreign license plates.

Woooosh - 7-9-2009 at 07:12 AM

I posted the final update. 8 captured. I wonder who the grenades were for? Maybe they were just the pineapple cigarette lighter look-alikes because Mexico will have a hard time blaming the USA this time- unless they sell hand grenades at gun shops/shows...

Here's More

CaboRon - 7-9-2009 at 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh
I posted the final update. 8 captured. I wonder who the grenades were for? Maybe they were just the pineapple cigarette lighter look-alikes because Mexico will have a hard time blaming the USA this time- unless they sell hand grenades at gun shops/shows...

Eight suspects arrested in deaths of Baja police

UNION-TRIBUNE
8:07 p.m. July 8, 2009

TIJUANA – Eight suspects linked to deadly attacks against municipal police officers in Tijuana and Rosarito Beach this week have been arrested and taken into military custody.
A statement issued Wednesday from the Second Military Zone in Tijuana said the suspects worked for alleged drug trafficker Teodoro García Simental, known as El Teo.
The suspects allegedly carried out Monday's shootings that claimed the lives of two officers and injured a third. The suspects range in age from 21 to 37.
An anonymous report about the presence of heavily armed individuals led to their detention in Rosarito Beach, the statement said. Seven rifles and three hand grenades were seized.
A third officer was shot to death Tuesday morning.
Sandra Dibble: (619) 293-1716; sandra.dibble@uniontrib

Why would you need grenades when...

Dave - 7-9-2009 at 09:29 AM

Quote:

They openly sell M-1000's? Four of them puppies could blow a car right off the axles.

On a lighter note:

Remember when you could buy grenades, minus the core, at an Army surplus store?

Those were happier times. :rolleyes:

[Edited on 7-9-2009 by Dave]