For a map, click here For a map of Coahuila state, click here Updated with new information from El Diario de Coahuila news daily
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A total of four unidentified armed suspects died in an exchange of gunfire Monday in Castaños municipality in Coahuila state, according to Mexican news accounts.
A Mexican Army unit on road patrol observed a Chevrolet Cheyenne extended cab pickup truck in the town near the intersection of calles Zaragoza and Matamoros, which then attempted to flee the scene. Several of its occupants opened fire on the army unit.
The ensuing pursuit passed by Castaños city hall. The gunfire precipitated the temporary evacuation of about 80 individuals.
Army return fire killed all three passengers and the driver. Following the gunfight, soldiers recovered four AR-15 rifles, one submachine gun, 58 weapons magazines, 1,258 rounds of ammunition, eight bulletproof vests and one grenade. The truck had been reported stolen.
An unidentified woman was hit by the pickup truck as it attempted to elude the army patrol. An unidentified Coahuila state police agent was also wounded in the crossfire.
Castaños is five kilometers south of Monclova city and is on Mexico Highway 57, which leads to the border city of Piedras Negras. The site is also roughly 50 kilometers north of the state capital of Coahuila, Saltillo, which has recently been the site of several repeated confrontations between rival criminal gangs and Mexican security forces in including Mexican Army units.
Castaños is also 50 kilometers northwest of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.
Nearly all Mexican federal agencies including Secretaria de Defensa Nacional (SEDENA), the controlling agency for the Mexican Army and Air Force, Secretaria de Marina (SEMAR), the controlling agency for the Mexican Navy and others have completely shut down their news functions in accordance with Article 41 of the Constitution of the United States of Mexico, which forbids government propaganda or news of any kind to be released during a federal election campaign.
Various state agencies, though not all, are observing the Article 41 suspensions.
Article 41 news suspensions are expected to be resumed the day after the July 1st presidential and federal legislators elections.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com