An armed commando unit attacked the commander of the guard corps at the El Hongo correctional facility in Tecate, Baja California, while he was transporting a prison officer who had been detained with drugs and cellphones.
The assault took place on Tuesday night on the Tecate-Tijuana highway, near the El Hongo toll booth, triggering a massive mobilization of state and federal security forces.
According to initial reports, the attack occurred around 8:00 p.m., when a group of armed individuals intercepted the official convoy from the Penitentiary System that was transporting guard Gerardo N. to the facilities of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) in Tijuana.
The assailants were traveling in a vehicle from which they fired high-powered weapons directly at the official unit. During the attack, Commander Ramiro Tolentino Téllez sustained a head injury caused by a grazing bullet wound, while his security escort was also injured.
Despite the severity of the attack, both victims were reported to be out of danger and received immediate medical attention. Following the assault, the gunmen managed to flee the scene without being apprehended, prompting the deployment of a search operation in the area.
