SWAT teams dispatched as gun battle unfolds near Escobares[South Texas/Mexico Spillover]

SWAT teams dispatched as gun battle unfolds near Escobares[South Texas/Mexico Spillover]

The Monitor ^ | November 08, 2011 | Ildefonso Ortiz and Jared Taylor

Posted on Tuesday, November 08, 2011 3:37:38 PM by SwinneySwitch

ESCOBARES — Fifteen gunmen crossed the Rio Grande into the U.S. near a shootout between the Mexican military and a group of gunmen was taking place.

Several area SWAT teams were responding about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to a ranch near Escobares, just across the U.S.-Mexico border where a shootout broke out south of the Rio Grande.

The shootout reportedly began shortly after noon but details were not readily available. Residents on the U.S. side reported seeing members of the U.S. Border Patrol and Starr County Sheriff’s Office near the border securing the area.

A U.S. law enforcement official confirmed a group of as many as 15 gunmen had crossed the Rio Grande, though it remained unclear whether they were Mexican soldiers or cartel gunmen.

“We don’t know who they are,” the official said. “We haven’t gotten that information yet.”

Border Patrol officials said they stopped a smuggling attempt near La Rosita and continue to search the area. However, it remains unclear if the smuggling attempt is related to the gun battle.

Local authorities in Hidalgo County are providing backup support along the Rio Grande as Border Patrol has dispatched additional agents from the McAllen area to the incident in rural Starr County.

via SWAT teams dispatched as gun battle unfolds near Escobares[South Texas/Mexico Spillover].

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