Americas

Home page

Americas

People tried to lynch three policemen in Mexico City, 62 policemen injured in clashes

24 February 2010 17:01 (UTC +04:00)

Mexico â€“ APA. An angry mob in the Mexico City neighborhood of San Pedro Atocpan clashed with police leaving at least 62 officers injured, Mexico’s Public Safety Secretariat said in news release, CNN reported.
The federal police officers were injured during an attempt to rescue three colleagues who were surrounded by the mob.
In some of the tougher neighborhoods of Mexico City, where crime is high, there have been reported incidents of residents taking the law into their own hands.
According to the Public Safety Secretariat, the incident began when the three federal officers, in plain clothes, responded to a tip.
A caller told police that several suspects were seen forcibly taking a person who had their hands and face bound inside a home. The tipster said shouts and strange movements came from the house.
The three officers went to investigate, and were in the process of detaining two people for questioning when they were blocked by area residents, the SSP said.
It quickly turned into a mob scene aimed at the officers, who sought refuge inside their vehicle, the news release said.
When reinforcements arrived, they, as well as community leaders, were unable to dissuade the mob from attempting to lynch the officers, according to the SSP. Many participants in the mob were described as drunk.
Police finally rescued the officers who suffered only minor injuries, SSP said.
Mexico City leaders have asked for a full investigation of the incident.