A shootout between the police and the Sinaloa drug cartel was reported in North Mexico following the arrest of Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of the jailed drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Footage of the incident showed heavily armed men engaging the police in a fierce shootout. Members of the drug cartel also barricaded streets and fired at vehicles in the city of Culiacán.
The fighting is reported to have lasted for several hours before López was released. Alfonso Durazo, Mexico’s security minister, said Mr. Lopez was freed “to avoid more violence in the area and preserve the lives of our personnel and recover calm in the city.”
The police were reportedly on a routine patrol when they found Mr. Lopez, who is accused of drug trafficking in the US, in a house in the city.
The cartel launched a heavy attack against the police in an attempt to seize López back from the authorities.
Meanwhile, the Sinaloa state government said an unknown number of inmates had escaped from the Aguaruto prison as the clashes spread across the city.
It is unclear if anyone was killed in the attack, but several officers are reported to have sustained gunshot wounds.
