Armed men attack the police chief of Rosarito, Baja California

The events took place in the El Tecolote neighborhood, when the police commander was heading to his workplace with his bodyguards

A commando shot Alfredo Torres Blanco, director of the Rosarito Municipal Police, and his escorts during the morning of June 14 in Tijuana.

The events occurred when the police commander was leaving his home in the El Tecolote neighborhood, around 7:10 in the morning.

The secretary of security of the Rosarito City Council, Francisco Arellano, assured in a press conference that hitmen were waiting for the police director outside his house.

“They attacked him, he defended himself, he sent the location and the immediate operation was deployed, then the ISSSTECALI Mirador ambulance arrived. Torres was hit in the right leg, and his escort was hit in the gluteus. They will soon be discharged,” the Zeta Weekly quoted the official as saying upon leaving the Security Board meeting at the Municipal House.

Alfredo Torres Franco, director of the Rosarito Municipal Police, was wounded in the El Tecolote neighborhood in Tijuana. English:Photo: FRONTERA
Alfredo Torres Franco, director of the Rosarito Municipal Police, was wounded in the El Tecolote neighborhood in Tijuana. Photo: FRONTERA

He clarified that although the two are wounded by bullets, neither is in serious health, because they defended themselves. He pointed out that the second escort had a shrapnel injury.

The official said that the municipal president, the police director and he are the only ones who were assigned armed escorts. He pointed out that the security protocol they have had not been seen in any way.

Francisco Arellano said that up to that moment they had not received threats, although he said that a version had circulated on the networks weeks ago about a warning against the police of Rosarito, Tijuana and other places.

“We were on alert but we have no evidence that we had a direct threat against Torres or against any other element of this corporation,” explained the secretary.

He pointed out that several operations have been carried out where several generators of violence in the entity have been arrested, although he ruled out that any were high risk, so, he said, it will be the state Attorney General’s Office that will be in charge of the lines of investigation of the attack.

The official pointed out that they are working on the video recordings of the C4 that were near the place where the attack happened.

Elements of various state and federal security corporations were deployed at the site.

Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG, behind the threats to the police
According to the Zeta Weekly, different elements of the Municipal Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection of Tijuana received threats during the month of May, allegedly from the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG).

Although they were not only threats, direct attacks on municipal agents were also recorded. The members of the Coordination Board for Peace and Security of Baja California mentioned that at the time, “because of the area (of the attacks), we are inclined to think that they were CJNG murderers, but the intelligence and ministerial investigations have only just begun.”

In this sense, the authorities were investigating a possible alliance between Héctor García, alias El Kateo, of the Arellano Félix Cartel (CAF), with Javier Adrián Beltrán Cabrera, El Pedrito, of the CJNG.

Source: infobae