Reynosa gun battle leaves 2 police dead, several injured
Incident is second in the region in as many days

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REYNOSA — Suspected drug cartels battled the Mexican army and federal police here Tuesday in the second such incident in this region in as many days.

The firefight erupted about 6:30 p.m. and left two police dead and several injured, witnesses said.

Mexican federal police and soldiers battled the suspected cartels near the intersection of Hidalgo Boulevard and Praxedis Balboa, better known as Linea del Gas, in the center of downtown Reynosa.

There were reports that gunmen shot at ambulances that were trying to carry injured soldiers away from the battle.

The shooting started about 10 blocks from the intersection, with witnesses reporting several explosions, including one grenade that exploded next to a truck in a church parking lot. Police later washed down the truck with water, but the ground remained visibly scorched and the burning smell hung in the air even hours later.

A pool of blood could be seen on the sidewalk in front of the church, and more blood was visible on a sign in front of the building. Charred body armor and helmets, as well as a pair of handcuffs, were also seen at the site.

Farther up Hidalgo Boulevard, outside the offices of Radio Gape, a black Cadillac Escalade with Texas plates was strewn across the westbound median. Bullet holes pierced the rear windows.

Several witnesses, including some employees of the radio station who asked not to be identified, reported seeing gunmen emerge from the Escalade and get into another car with more armed men.

According to several witnesses and Mexican journalists, shooting occurred throughout the city until about 9 p.m.

Police and soldiers offered no official word on the gunfire that reportedly occurred on the west side of Reynosa, across the border from Anzalduas County Park, on the highway to Ciudad Miguel Aleman.

On Reynosa's south side police set up a makeshift checkpoint along the Libramiento Monterrey highway. Hundreds of soldiers and police, some in armored vehicles, patrolled the city late Tuesday night, searching for suspects.

Mexican journalists who descended on the scene at Hidalgo Boulevard reported being told by the military to flee, because there were more gunmen in the area. As they ran another explosion could be heard.

About 100 people gathered as the military blocked off the area and searched nearby buildings for several hours. There were no immediate reports of arrests.

Mexican journalists also reported seeing a dead federal police officer riddled with bullets and leaning against a police truck. Mexican media ran photos of body bags being taken from the scene.

On Monday, Mexican military and federal police battled suspected drug cartels in the border city of Rio Bravo. The firefight left three federal officers dead and five soldiers and five federal officers injured.

This is the third violent incident in less than two months and the second in as many days along Northern Mexico’s border with the Rio Grande Valley.

On Nov. 30, gunmen killed former Rio Bravo mayor Juan Antonio Guajardo Anzalduá and five others in a shooting outside a downtown restaurant in that city. There have been no arrests in connection with his death. Following that shooting, Mexican President Felipe Calderon sent troops to help settle the city.

Monday afternoon, following the gun battle there, the troop presence was bolstered with hundreds of soldiers, some in armored vehicles, patrolling the streets. Many wore masks to hide their faces.

After that incident, on Highway 2, hundreds of cars heading eastbound were stopped and made to wait to go through inspections at a makeshift police checkpoint.

Throughout Mexico, violent crime is rampant despite Calderon's much-touted drug offensive during his first year in office.

On Friday, Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora told Mexican media that drug and organized crime related killings rose to 2,500 in 2007, up from 2,350 in 2006.