Gunmen stormed a prison in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez on Monday, killing 14 and allowing 24 inmates to escape, the prosecutor’s office in the Mexican state of Chihuahua said.
An unknown number of gunmen in the armored vehicle were involved in the attack, including 10 prison guards and security personnel, the prosecutor’s statement said, Agence France-Presse reported. Prosecutors said the attack occurred around 7 a.m. and sparked brawls among inmates inside the sprawling state prison.
The statement said shortly before the attack on the prison, unknown gunmen opened fire at city police on a nearby boulevard, sparking a car chase that resulted in a car and four men being impounded.
The attackers then drove a Hummer and opened fire on another group of security personnel outside the prison, the statement said.
Prosecutors said 13 people were also injured in the brawl inside the prison. Prisoners from different gangs and drug cartels are held in different cell areas.
Prosecutors said only four people were in custody, but did not specify whether they were prisoners or armed assailants.
As for the escape methods of the 24 escaped prisoners, there is currently no detailed information.
Ciudad Juárez prosecutors said they were investigating the motive behind the attack.
Ciudad Juárez is the site of years of violent clashes between rival Sinaloa and Juarez drug cartels and security forces that have killed thousands over the past decade.
