Son of Mexican drug lord El Chapo was arrested on Thursday in an operation that triggered a gun battle in the western city of Culiacan, Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said.
Ovidio Guzman is one of the sons who have assumed control of part of the notorious cartel run by their father until he was extradited to the United States in 2017.
His arrest sparked gun battles on the streets of the city between cartel members and security forces.
A main road that leads out of the city was blocked by burning trucks and others were shut by the army, according to the report.
A public security official confirmed that Ovidio had been arrested after being found with four other cartel members at a house. Officials have not publicly said anything about his brother Iván. Footage on social media showed heavily armed civilians in trucks firing in the streets as violence erupted, with some shooting what appeared to be .50-caliber sniper rifles and truck-mounted machine guns. The civilian gunmen blocked a number of city streets with burning vehicles, which is a common tactic to make it difficult for authorities to maneuver. State police have confirmed that several prisoners even escaped from a prison during the chaos. Video footage showed a group of between 20 to 30 people running in the streets. It was not immediately clear how they escaped from the prison. Sinaloa public safety director Cristóbal Castañeda told Milenio television that some of the prisoners were quickly recaptured. Vehicles and a petrol station were also set on fire as the cartel gunmen roamed the city. Civilians hid in the aisles of a supermarket, while others ran for cover in leafy suburban streets.
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