A series of cameras recorded the exact moment of the kidnapping last Monday of businessman Tariácuri Hernández in his own restaurant in Pátzcuaro, in the State of Michoacán. A commando made up of a dozen men with long weapons entered the commercial establishment in broad daylight, when it was full of customers, and took the owner of the place in less than two minutes. The images captured dozens of people lying on the floor, under tables, hiding from the criminals, and some protecting children who were playing in a garden, while men ran next to them with machine guns in their hands. Some media outlets credited the kidnapping to the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG). After the incident, the authorities recorded a shootout in that area. Hernández’s family has protested to ask for the man to appear alive, of whom there is still no further news.
At least five video surveillance cameras recorded the attack at the Gran Tariácuti restaurant. Several vans parked in front of the place and a dozen men dressed in black with long weapons got out of the vehicles. At least five of them entered through the door where customers enter, between the tables. On Monday, a holiday in Mexico, the commercial establishment was packed with diners. When people who were eating quietly see them arrive, they run to protect themselves or lie down on the floor. Through another door, less busy, the criminals enter and run out. Through there they take the businessman, dressed in a white shirt, dark pants and light-colored sneakers. Once they get him out of there, all the attackers quickly mark themselves, get into the vans and leave the place. That is what was recorded in the images, which circulated on social media on Wednesday.
The kidnapping opened the door to a shootout, which took place in the area where the restaurant is, in the town of Tzurumútaro, between alleged criminals and Civil Guard agents. The family has demonstrated to ask for Hernández’s release. “Please respect his integrity, respect his health, do not beat him,” they asked the kidnappers at an event of the governor, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, who attended to ask for support from the authorities. The Michoacán Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation file to investigate what happened at the restaurant and the whereabouts of the businessman. So far, they have not given more information about Hernández’s fate.
Julio Arreola, mayor of Pátzcuaro, assured this week that they have no records of the businessman having suffered extortion by organized crime and that this is a punishment for not paying that fee. “There was no threat, he was a person, I know him well, who dedicated himself to working on his businesses in different parts of the center,” he said to the press. The mayor pointed out that the restaurant had opened about two years ago and that Hernández is “an enterprising person” from the municipality. The search operation, said the politician, is being carried out jointly with the federal government and the National Guard.
Violence has hit hard in several states of the country since the beginning of the six-year term, on October 1. The advance of organized crime has left a trail of blood in some states. In Michoacán, a handful of criminal organizations are fighting over the territory, including the CJNG. The kidnappers’ clothing shows some initials that cannot be seen clearly, but which the media has credited to the cartel led by Nemesio Oseguera, alias El Mencho.
Source: elpais
