In just the latest of a slew of violent acts that have taken place in the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo, three prison inmates and a female visitor have been killed in an attempted jail break, after a 40 minute shootout. The inmates of Penitentiary Number 2, who used the dead woman as a shield, were apparently armed. It is thought that they wrestled assault rifles away from some prison guards who were trying to break up a fight. Three other visitors, including a pregnant woman, were injured.
While the three inmates didn’t manage to escape, being gunned down by guards from a watchtower, six other men did, by running through the yard of a school whose perimeter is unbelievably only 50 yards away. The men hijacked a truck and then later abandoned it. On what offences the escapees were jailed for has not yet been revealed but considering Nuevo Laredo is on a major drug smuggling route it wouldn’t be surprising if some had been incarcerated on drugs charges.
