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By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
One unidentified armed suspect was killed and two others were detained in a pursuit and firefight in Zacatacas state Wednesday afternoon, according to Mexican news reports.
The incident took place on Mexico Federal Highway 54 in Villanueva municipality near the village of El Fuerte. Villanueva is about 25 kilometers south of Zacatecas municipality, the state capital of Zacatecas.
According to the news account, armed suspects were travelling aboard a Nissan SUV about about 1630 hrs when they were observed by a Zacatecas state Policia Estatal Preventiva (PEP) road patrol. The driver of the SUV attempted to flee the scene, but instead ran, and mired his vehicle into a creek bed. Two suspects dismounted and fled, with one of them throwing a hand grenade at the police.
Police return fire hit and killed the suspect, who was reportedly in his 20s. The other suspect fled the scene.
Two suspects were captured at the scene of the crash.
In the aftermath, the state police agents secured a number of weapons, including three AK-47 rifles, one AR-15 rifle, 27 weapons magazines for AK-47, one weapons magazine for AR-15, 707 rounds of ammunition for AK-47, six rounds of ammunition for AR-15, two bulletproof vests, personal quantities of marijuana and cocaine and the vehicle.
Villanueva was the scene last fall of an intergang shootout which cost the lives of four local gang members. Zacatecas had since 2010 been a Los Zetas stronghold, but its control of the state has slipped since the death its top capo, Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano last summer at the hands of a Mexican Naval infantry unit in northern Coahuila.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com