Three Tijuana officers shot dead, one wounded

By Sandra Dibble and Angelica Martinez
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS
11:43 p.m. September 18, 2009

TIJUANA – Three Tijuana municipal police officers were fatally shot and one was wounded Friday night in a residential area of Playas de Tijuana.

The shooting happened shortly after 9:30 p.m. in front of La Perla Residencial, a beachfront development with 24-hour security, controlled access, gardens and parks.

A spokeswoman with the Baja California Attorney General's Office said numerous AK-47 shell casings were found, indicating that the officers were sprayed with gunfire by assailants.

At least five men were in custody shortly after the shooting, authorities said.

Customers at a nearby restaurant said they heard loud, consecutive sprays of gunfire while they were in the restaurant and they hit the floor.

The officers were near a convenience store when they were ambushed. The slain officers were identified as Napoleon Garcia Perez, Arturo Flores Espinoza and Samuel Sierra Marcos.

The fourth officer is being treated for injuries not considered life-threatening.

In July, seven police officers were shot and killed over two days. They were the targets of a drug lord who wanted Tijuana's police chief to resign after making strides in cleaning up corruption within the department, authorities said.

A similar attack on municipal police occurred in late April that also left seven officers dead in 45 minutes.

After the shooting, long lines of traffic could be seen outside Playas de Tijuana as police set up numerous checkpoints that led drivers out of community.

Sandra Dibble: (619) 293-1716;
Angelica Martinez: (619) 293-1317;

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