Google Translate; RewrittenNuevo Leon Agencia Estatal Investigadora (AEI) agents fought a gun battle with a criminal gang in the streets of Monterrey Saturday, killing three, according to Mexican press accounts.
The first battle took place near the intersection of Calle Padre Mier between calles 5th and 15 de Mayo in central Monterrey when AEI agents began pursuit of gang of suspected robbers riding in a Honda Odyssey on calle Pino Suärez.
AEI agents were involved in an ongoing investigation of a series of robberies of gas stations and banks and carjackings in Monterrey. Agents had information that the suspects resided in Reynosa, Nuevo Leon and McAllen Texas, then "commuted" to Monterrey to commit crimes before returning home.
Armed suspects fired at the agents during the pursuit, so agents returned fire. One civilian, Manuel de Jesus Saldaña, was hit by the crossfire while taking off work to buy a refreshment.
The suspects apparently abandoned their vehicle a block away and fled in different directions,one of them entering a hospital being chased by additional state police agents who had just arrived to reinfoce the pursuit. He was taken down and held to the floor by one of the agents.
Two other suspects escaped, one of them in the Temple of San Jose, on calle 15 de Mayo, and the other ducking in the buildings of the Universidad Regiomontana.
A few moments later, state police found the hideout of the gang in a four star hotel, the Hotel Antares on Avenida Constitución and Calle Venustiano Carranza, where the gang had apparently rented a four room block on two different floors.
For two hours, authorities cordoned off the area around the hotel before attempting an assault on the third and fifth floors
The agents were greeted with fragmentary hand grenades attacks and AK-47 fire when they attempted their assault on the two rooms held by the suspects. The firefight lasted several minutes. One state police agent was hit by gunfire.
At the conclusion of the firefight, two suspects were killed, two were wounded and four were arrested. Police agents seized six fragmentary grenades, six AK-47 assault rifles with 27 magazines, two AR-15 assault rifles with nine magazines, one .40 caliber pistol, one .45 caliber pistol, three 9mm pistols, 33 other magazines for various pistols and five late model stolen vehicles.