Ten people are dead and nine others are wounded after gunmen ambushed a group of drivers in Mexico taking part in a Baja California road race about 115 miles south of the Tijuana border Saturday afternoon.
The racers were traveling from Ensenada to San Felipe when at around 2:15 p.m. a black van with gunmen started firing at several parked cars in the off-road vehicle race called "Cachanillazo," Mexican authorities said.
Videos posted on social media showed heavy shooting at the rally in San Vicente, which is about 50 miles south of Ensenada, and at least three bodies lying on the ground.
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The state prosecutor’s office said there was evidence of crossfire suggesting it was a confrontation between members of organized crime groups. State prosecutor Ricardo Iván Carpio said that the black van was found to have “perforations from gunshots and traces of blood inside.”
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"The attack was returned by those who were initially attacked, so the investigations will be aimed at establishing the origin and motive for the confrontation between alleged organized crime groups," the prosecutor's office said.
A merchant in the area said she witnessed the attack. “I was paralyzed, we didn't know what to do, whether to run or leave everything," she told Telemundo 20 in Spanish.
Another witness said he heard two distinct rounds of shots.
"Yes, on two occasions, first and then everything stopped and then after a while, it came again. We watched when the patrols and everything allowed themselves to come here,” he recounted.
Mexican local, state and federal law enforcement agencies along with the fire department and Red Cross all went to the area to help and investigate the shooting. The Red Cross took some of the injured people to an urban area of Ensenada while at least two people were treated in San Vicente in the midst of a security police deployment, according to Jorge Argoud, Operational Deputy Director of the Ensenada municipal police.
A San Vicente law enforcement officer said there were no injuries to town members.
No arrests have been made and the identities of the victims were not released.
Editorial note: A previous version of this story said the shooting happened 15 miles south of the Tijuana border. It was intended to say 115 miles south. We regret the error.
