A criminal group operating in the Tlalpan borough set fire to a vehicle on the Mexico-Cuernavaca highway, near the San Andrés Totolpec colony, in an attempt to capitalize on the violence recorded in other Mexican states following the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho', in the state of Jalisco. The Mexico City Citizen Security Secretariat (SSC) reported that after the incident, which was linked to the death of 'El Mencho', leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), an operation was carried out to arrest the presumed suspects. Seven people were captured, while one individual who shot at police was killed. The investigation by the SSC indicates that several individuals traveling in two vehicles got out and set fire to a third car they had driven to the highway before fleeing the scene. The unit went up in flames quickly, but the fire was controlled by capital firefighters with a rapid intervention, with no reported injuries. Faced with the situation, with the support of the C2 surveillance system operating in Tlalpan, the two vehicles involved were tracked down. The first one was located on Benito Juárez Street, in the San Andrés Totoltepec colony, Tlalpan borough. At that location, four men and one woman were detained, including a person identified as Saúl Trinidad Castillo, alias 'El Güero', 27 years old, considered by authorities as a source of violence with roots in that area of Tlalpan. In a second event, capital police located the other vehicle involved in the car burning on Ayuhualco Street in the same colony, but its occupants resisted arrest and fired at the capital police, who responded to the aggression. The result was two people detained and one presumed criminal dead, as well as the seizure of two firearms, including an assault rifle exclusive to the armed forces. Following the arrests, the SSC confirmed through witnesses and testimonies the involvement of the detainees in the car burning. However, some of those arrested revealed that they tried to take advantage of the situation to gain ground, so the SSC ruled out their connection to the narcoblockades registered in other federal entities. Therefore, the SSC clarified that for now, the main line of investigation for these events 'is that it is an opportunistic local group that wanted to take advantage of the situation.' Additionally, the SSC reiterated that the burned vehicle was under surveillance due to its connection to a shooting that occurred this Saturday, February 21st, in which several people were injured. One of the detainees has a criminal record for domestic violence, the agency concluded. In this context, Head of Government of Mexico City, Clara Brugada, informed that the Mexico City Security Cabinet has declared itself 'in permanent session' to follow up on the reactions of criminal groups to the death of 'El Mencho.' Without commenting on the burned vehicle in Tlalpan, Brugada warned that the SSC 'will be informing about any relevant event for the capital's inhabitants.' Finally, she called for calm and requested the population to be informed through official sources due to the dissemination of false events related to the so-called 'narcoblockades' that have affected other federal entities of the country, mainly Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán.
