05052015Tue
Last updateFri, 01 May 2015 7pm

Cartel violence erupts in Guadalajara

Authorities say at least seven people died Friday as a wave of drug cartel instigated violence engulfed Guadalajara and other parts of Jalisco. Suspected cartel members terrified motorists and pedestrians by torching more than two dozen buses and trucks at busy intersections in metro area Guadalajara, as well as other cities.

Meanwhile, banks and gas stations were set on fire in the coastal resort of Puerto Vallarta, the southern Jalisco town of Ciudad Guzman and elsewhere.

Gunman also fired on a military helicopter that was forced to make an emergency landing near Casimiro Castillo, killing three soldiers.

One police officer died in a shootout with gunmen in Autlan, a state government spokesman said.

In a press conference, Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval said  he had received reports of at least 29 "narco blockades" in 19 municipalities of the state.  Eleven banks and five gas stations had been attacked, he noted.  Ten other attempts to torch gas stations failed, he added. He said seven people had died, 15 were injured and that 15 arrests were made but did not elaborate further.

Puerto Vallarta municipal authorities said five gas stations and three banks in the town were vandalized.

Although banks were closed for the May 1 holiday, many gas stations across the state closed after hearing the reports of violence.

Sandoval said he believed the violence was ordered as a result of an operation that had just started with the aim of capturing the leaders of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion.

Guadalajara has experienced similar incidents during the past three years, all in response to the arrests of senior cartel operatives.

Intersections where buses or other vehicles were set on fire in Guadalajara included:

Periférico and Acueducto
Av. Revolución and Matamoros
Patria and Isla Antigua
The Guadalajara-Chapala highway by the city airport
The Guadalajara-Chapala highway by El Tapatío Hotel
Periférico and Colón
Free road to Zapotlanejo by Tateposco
Periférico and 8 de Julio
Periférico and López Mateos
Periférico and Avenida del Servidor Público
Av. Vallarta and Aviación
Av. Aviación and 5 de Mayo
Periférico and  Tesistán