Tulum, Q.R. — Four men remain in police custody after a deadly beach club shooting in Tulum Wednesday. Their arrests were made after the armed men entered the beach club around 2:00 p.m. and opened fire leaving one dead and one injured.
In custody are Manuel de Jesús “N”, Rodrigo “N”, Henry Antonio “N” and a teenager who cannot be identified due to his (minor) age. The four males were arrested from a Tulum taxi in broad daylight Wednesday immediately after the shooting.
One of those in custody is the Tulum taxi driver.
The takedown by elements of the SSC (Citizen Security Secretariat) and Municipal Police of Tulum was witnessed by motorists and pedestrians on Tulum Avenue Wednesday.
Arrested were “four male persons, including a teenager, for their probable participation in events that could constitute the crimes of qualified homicide and attempted homicide,” the State Attorney General has since reported.
“Manuel de Jesús “N”, Rodrigo “N”, Henry Antonio “N” and a teenager were arrested Wednesday afternoon after an armed attack on a bar located in the coastal area of Tulum where one person lost his life and another was injured by gunshot. Both victims were Mexican nationals and workers at said establishment,” the Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE) explained.
The arrests took place on Tulum Avenue between Orión Sur Street and Beta Sur Street after a chase. The four suspects were arrested with firearms “with which they probably committed the crime,” the FGE said.
The deadly beach club shooting happened at kilometer 7 of the Tulum-Boca Paila coastal highway. After the shooting, the three gunmen escaped in a waiting taxi from where they were eventually captured.
During their arrests, one managed to escape the hold of an officer. He was seen running from the police officer down a sidewalk where he disappeared but was later found and taken into custody.
Another suspect also tried to escape the hold of an arresting office while being escorted to the police unit Wednesday. The officer is seen tackling the young man to the ground for a second attempt at putting him inside the police truck.
It is the second time this month a deadly shooting has taken place at the same Tulum beach club. Earlier this month, armed men left one male dead inside the same Tulum club.
In a public statement Thursday, the SSC (Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana) said “while on surveillance duty in the municipality of Tulum, elements of the Citizen Security Secretariat received a report of gunshots at the Taboo beach club in the Coastal Zone, where there was one injured and one dead. They reported that the perpetrators shot him and got into a white Nissan Sentra taxi with red stripes.
“At that time, the search and location of the unit was carried out, and when driving in the lane next to the median strip on Tulum Avenue, between Beta Sur Street and Orión Sur Street, as a reference in front of the Kukulcan hotel, they detected the vehicle and the subjects indicated that matched the given characteristics.
“The officers blocked the way and told the four people who were on board to get out of the vehicle to proceed with the corresponding inspection and that is when they noticed that two of them were armed so they were instructed to drop the weapon and leave it inside the car.
“At the time of the inspection, one of the men took an aggressive attitude and suddenly ran away, fleeing; a situation that was reported to the municipal police for support in locating him, which occurred almost immediately.
“The three subjects were seized two firearms, the white Nissan Sentra vehicle with red stripes with the economic number corresponding to the taxi union “Tiburones del Caribe” with license plates from the state of Quintana Roo.
“Two short firearms, Taurus G3 9×19 brand with the legend “Taurus Armas Made In Brasil”, three short gun magazines, a black semi-automatic long firearm brand U.Z.I. with the legend “Fabrique National Darmes de Guerre Licence U.Z.I. FN-Herstal Belgium”, two long gun magazines and 39 gold cartridges with the legend “Águila” caliber 9 mm.
“The detainees respond to the names of Manuel “N”, Henry “N” and L.D.R.C., 16 years old, the latter was taken before the corresponding authorities in the city of Cancun. Meanwhile, the fourth male was captured by the elements of the Municipal Police of Tulum and said he responded to the name of Rodrigo “N”.”
