http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/15079591/detail.html

Gun Battle Prompts Evacuations In Tijuana


TIJUANA, Mexico -- A shootout with police in Tijuana on Thursday has prompted the evacuations of their City Hall and police headquarters, NBC 7/39 reported.

Earlier in the day, more than 100 children were escorted at gunpoint out of their preschool by armed guards, following the gun battle in the Ermita neighborhood.

Four people were injured as a result of the gunfire.As many as 1,500 Mexican authorities will be in Tijuana by the end of the week to get control over rioting drug gangs. Authorities in Mexico said they're responsible for the deaths of at least three police officers, including a district commander, his wife and 12-year-old daughter. T

hose shootings took place earlier this week.District chiefs are being asked to carry assault rifles at all times and move their families from their homes.The Mexican Army has been sent in to help control the ongoing confrontation.Tijuana residents e-mailed NBCSandiego.com to report on the violence. One man, who said he works in Tijuana, said the violence was taking place near Plaza Rio.

He said televised reports were warning residents to stay in their homes.The violence came following a car chase and shootout Monday afternoon between municipal police and at least two people who allegedly tried to rob an armored car after it made a cash pickup at a bank.

One suspect was killed and another was wounded and taken to a hospital under police custody, municipal police said.Local media reported that police commanders received threats on their radio signal after the shootout, a common intimidation tactic among gangs of organized criminals.The shootings come just one week after the Mexican government stepped up its anti-drug efforts throughout the country where drug cartels battle each other for the best smuggling routes.

Previous Stories:

* January 17, 2008: Shootout In Tijuana Wounds 4
* January 16, 2008: Cop, Wife, Daughter Shot To Death In Tijuana
* January 15, 2008: 3 Cops Gunned Down In Tijuana
* December 2, 2007: Authorities: Baja Tourists Targeted By Gunmen
* September 26, 2007: Tijuana Cop Accused Of Trying To Smuggle Drugs
* April 19, 2007: 3 Dead After Shootout At Tijuana Hospital
* January 23, 2007: Tijuana Police Rearm -- With Slingshots
* January 5, 2007: Local Police Stop Patrolling In Tijuana
* October 16, 2006: Tijuana Mayor: City Is Much Safer
* August 24, 2006: Cops Accused Of Decapitating Fellow Officers
* June 23, 2006: Suspects Questioned In Baja Beheadings
* June 22, 2006: Headless Bodies Found In Rosarito; Heads Found In Tijuana