.jpg)
New sources report today that hundreds of people cowered for hours inside a shopping mall in the resort town of Cabo San Lucas today while security forces traded gunfire with armed criminals at the Plaza Sendero shopping center.
A local newspaper in Mexico, Milenio, reports that 12 men armed with high powered rifles (AK-47’s), were traveling in three vans (other articles say 3 – 4 men). When they were observed by police, they retreated into a store at the mall. They were suspected of killing a marine the night before. There are conflicting stories whether they held 200 of the 600 shoppers hostage. After a shoot out, three men were arrested according to Borderland Beat.
This dangerous event occurred after cruise lines like Princess Cruises, its parent company Carnival Cruise Line, and Disney Cruise Line pulled out of Mexican ports such as Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta in the last few months because of fears of violence.
Is it safe to cruise to Mexico when places like Cabo San Lucas turn into a scene from the Wild West?
You can see the gun battle and arrests in the video below:
October 29, 2011 Update: The incident may be related to another gun fight broke out late on the night of October 28, 2011 between 11:00 PM and 3:00 AM in Cabo San Lucas "between Mexican military and assumed narco trafficantes." One soldier and a gunman are dead and two police officers are seriously injured. A video of the nighttime shooting is below:
Video credits: Top – TheRasek79 (YouTube); bottom – BajaWhistleBlower (YouTube)
Photo credits: Pat Garcia / La Paz, Mexico
October 30, 2011 Update: Photographs are emerging of the criminals holding hostages (above) and the military responding to the situation (below). Photos courtesy of Now Public / Pat Garcia, La Paz, Mexico.
For other articles about crime in Mexico:
U.S. Travel Warnings to Mexico
Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines Pull Ships From L.A. Due To Crime In Mexico
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Tells Princess Cruises: "We’re Safer Than Your Cruise Ships!"
Frommer’s Is it Safe to Travel to Los Cabos?
Fox News: Cruise Ships Avoid Mazatlán Due to Crimes Targeting Tourists