Sierra Juarez
October 18, 2019•Update: October 18, 2019
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico
Mexican authorities confirmed Thursday that they have captured Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of the infamous drug lord “El Chapo” Guzman, in Culiacan, the capital of the western state of Sinaloa.
Mexico’s Public Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said in a press conference that organized criminal groups then attacked several places to create panic in Culiacan.
Videos and images on social media show gunmen, using assault weapons, blocking streets and burning trucks. Continuous gunfire could be heard in the background of several of the videos.
Amid the chaos, between 20 to 30 prisoners escaped from jail, according to local media outlet Milenio.
Local authorities are warning people to stay off the streets as the shootouts continue to ravage the city. People are reportedly taking cover in local businesses.
“We are trying to recover the security of the city of Culiacan,” Quirino Ordaz Coppel, the governor of Sinaloa, wrote on Twitter. “I am asking you all to stay safe and be vigilant.”
The local government has already canceled all school and educational activities for Friday.
El Chapo was arrested in 2016 and is in prison in the U.S. He is the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, which was founded in Culiacan.
