BULLETS OVER BAJA: Attack Yields Grave Consequences
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Skull
Contributor
Another point to make considering Annie McMillian got jacked after the Baja 1000 race ...they are perhaps the most influencial San Diego Family associated with the Baja racing and for them to be treated this way paints a very grim picture of the state of affairs on the toll road. Seems the racing community is looking to the high desert and death valley for more secure and reliable locations for racing.
Futhermore at the rate Americans are buying up N. Baja it just a matter of time before the locals will wake up and ask where did all of the gringos come from ...demanding voting rights, free medical, english as the second language ...think I'm joking ...think again Rosarito to Ensenada is nothing but gringos ...La Salinas is flush with dollars.
Futhermore at the rate Americans are buying up N. Baja it just a matter of time before the locals will wake up and ask where did all of the gringos come from ...demanding voting rights, free medical, english as the second language ...think I'm joking ...think again Rosarito to Ensenada is nothing but gringos ...La Salinas is flush with dollars.
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Tecate...Juan Soriano Cheif of Police ~~~Killed.
By Lizbeth Diaz
REUTERS
December 4, 2007
TIJUANA, Mexico – Gunmen killed the police chief of a Mexican city bordering California Tuesday by shooting him some 50 times in an apparent revenge attack after police found a drug-smuggling tunnel under the border.
Gunmen broke into the house of Tecate police chief Juan Soriano in the early hours of the morning and shot him repeatedly in the face and torso as he slept in bed with his wife, an official at the Baja California state attorney general's office told Reuters. His wife was not hit.
The killing of Soriano, who had started his job only last week, appeared to be an act of revenge against Mexican police, who Monday discovered a tunnel nearly a mile long running into California from Tecate near the Pacific coast after a tip-off from the U.S. Border Patrol.
"As soon as Soriano made public the discovery of the tunnel, he went home and hours later, they executed him in his bedroom," said the official, who requested anonymity.
Police also found two tons of marijuana in a vehicle near the tunnel, which ran from an abandoned warehouse close to the Tecate crossing point into a rural area of Southern California, and was one of the longest ever discovered along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Mexican government says the deployment of some 25,000 troops and federal police across Mexico is halting drug violence between warring cartels fighting for dominance of smuggling routes to the United States, citing a fall in monthly murder tolls.
But violence has continued in Baja California, Mexico's bloodiest state, where more than 300 people have been killed this year.
Some 2,350 people have died in Mexican drug violence so far this year, most of them members of rival gangs.
By Lizbeth Diaz
REUTERS
December 4, 2007
TIJUANA, Mexico – Gunmen killed the police chief of a Mexican city bordering California Tuesday by shooting him some 50 times in an apparent revenge attack after police found a drug-smuggling tunnel under the border.
Gunmen broke into the house of Tecate police chief Juan Soriano in the early hours of the morning and shot him repeatedly in the face and torso as he slept in bed with his wife, an official at the Baja California state attorney general's office told Reuters. His wife was not hit.
The killing of Soriano, who had started his job only last week, appeared to be an act of revenge against Mexican police, who Monday discovered a tunnel nearly a mile long running into California from Tecate near the Pacific coast after a tip-off from the U.S. Border Patrol.
"As soon as Soriano made public the discovery of the tunnel, he went home and hours later, they executed him in his bedroom," said the official, who requested anonymity.
Police also found two tons of marijuana in a vehicle near the tunnel, which ran from an abandoned warehouse close to the Tecate crossing point into a rural area of Southern California, and was one of the longest ever discovered along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Mexican government says the deployment of some 25,000 troops and federal police across Mexico is halting drug violence between warring cartels fighting for dominance of smuggling routes to the United States, citing a fall in monthly murder tolls.
But violence has continued in Baja California, Mexico's bloodiest state, where more than 300 people have been killed this year.
Some 2,350 people have died in Mexican drug violence so far this year, most of them members of rival gangs.
Empty V
Contributor
Sam, where do you live? Is there no crime there? Did someone in Mexico wrong you lately? What is your agenda here?
Mexico, Baja in particular is wonderful place, filled with millions of wonderful, peaceful and very pleasant people. Focusing on the crime distorts this picture. Drugs and their associated crimes will always make headlines, no matter the city.
I’m going to try and give you a different view of the Mexicans in Baja.
Last year, I was in a small community on the outskirts of Tecate building a house for a poor family. They had nothing. I mean zero, no house, bathroom and only enough food for a few days. We provided them a new home and latrine – for free. One of the members of our team left his Nikon D80 behind. He thought it was stolen and was quite brokenhearted.
Last June, almost 8 months after my last build trip in that community I returned with a new team to build another house for another very poor family. After we were about halfway into building process, the first family paid us a visit. The father had found the lost camera, wrapped it in a towel and saved it for me.
Think about it, this camera if sold, could have fed his family for a month or two but he saved it for me anyway.
I have hundreds of these stories, too many to post here but you get the idea. Sometimes we forget that being born in a first world country is like being a member of the lucky gene club. A club we like to hold over everyone else with arrogance and little compassion for thier plight.
Mexico, Baja in particular is wonderful place, filled with millions of wonderful, peaceful and very pleasant people. Focusing on the crime distorts this picture. Drugs and their associated crimes will always make headlines, no matter the city.
I’m going to try and give you a different view of the Mexicans in Baja.
Last year, I was in a small community on the outskirts of Tecate building a house for a poor family. They had nothing. I mean zero, no house, bathroom and only enough food for a few days. We provided them a new home and latrine – for free. One of the members of our team left his Nikon D80 behind. He thought it was stolen and was quite brokenhearted.
Last June, almost 8 months after my last build trip in that community I returned with a new team to build another house for another very poor family. After we were about halfway into building process, the first family paid us a visit. The father had found the lost camera, wrapped it in a towel and saved it for me.
Think about it, this camera if sold, could have fed his family for a month or two but he saved it for me anyway.
I have hundreds of these stories, too many to post here but you get the idea. Sometimes we forget that being born in a first world country is like being a member of the lucky gene club. A club we like to hold over everyone else with arrogance and little compassion for thier plight.
mohave_steve
Contributor
Thank you All for pointing out how dangerous Baja is. I certainly won't be visiting there! Also while looking into this I found the following statistics:
Crime Statistics for 2006:
Murder Rape Robbery Assault Burglary
2,485 9,212 70,968 111,455 246,464
And you thought Baja was dangerous! Those are the numbers for California!
OK... Now that I am done being a smart a&$... We have crime everywhere. Some neighborhoods are better some worse. One thing that does make a difference for me personally is that where I live I can legally keep at hand the means to defend myself if confronted by an armed assailant.
Unfortunately for us Americans visiting Mexico (and Canada) it is virtually imposable for us to defend ourselves against criminals who are quite commonly armed. That makes us easy targets. I have been robbed & extorted in both Mexico & Canada in situations that would not have occurred here simply because the bad guys know that the American Tourist will be an easy target.
Oops....How did I wind up on that soap box.....
What I meant to point out is that crime does occur everywhere. Use some common sence as to where & when you travel. I still love to visit Mexico and will continue to visit certain areas of Baja while avoiding others. No dark alleys in TJ....Also traveling in larger groups when traveling the highways.
Crime Statistics for 2006:
Murder Rape Robbery Assault Burglary
2,485 9,212 70,968 111,455 246,464
And you thought Baja was dangerous! Those are the numbers for California!
OK... Now that I am done being a smart a&$... We have crime everywhere. Some neighborhoods are better some worse. One thing that does make a difference for me personally is that where I live I can legally keep at hand the means to defend myself if confronted by an armed assailant.
Unfortunately for us Americans visiting Mexico (and Canada) it is virtually imposable for us to defend ourselves against criminals who are quite commonly armed. That makes us easy targets. I have been robbed & extorted in both Mexico & Canada in situations that would not have occurred here simply because the bad guys know that the American Tourist will be an easy target.
Oops....How did I wind up on that soap box.....
What I meant to point out is that crime does occur everywhere. Use some common sence as to where & when you travel. I still love to visit Mexico and will continue to visit certain areas of Baja while avoiding others. No dark alleys in TJ....Also traveling in larger groups when traveling the highways.
covediver
Contributor
I am saddened to hear this about Baja. In 1990, I went down to Loretto at the end of Fall quarter with a friend and my brother. We loaded up my truck, drove down, camped on the beach leaving the camp unattended while we went off diving off local fishing pangas out of Puerto Escondito. No problems. No bandits, no corrupt officials, nothing but a great time. The only time I was hassled was coming back into the US. Identification wasn't a problem, we all had passports and after camping for seven days may actually have looked like our passport photos. When the Customs agent wanted to search the bag with our dirty laundry I invited him to search until he was satisfied. He seemed a little skeptical about our story about camping and diving.
I do note that growing up in southern California, Baja had the reputation for youngsters of being kind of a Grad night at Disneyland without the rules or dress code. Doesn't sound like that has changed at all.
I do note that growing up in southern California, Baja had the reputation for youngsters of being kind of a Grad night at Disneyland without the rules or dress code. Doesn't sound like that has changed at all.
OP
ShakaZulu
Contributor
Codyjp
Contributor
Oooohh, i am Tender, that is good to hear. I hope they don't plan to eat me though.
on a serious not though you can compare crime rates per capita on the US census website by zipcode searces. you may be surprised how low LA is in some areas compared to other parts of the country. Think about it, there is 15+ million people in LA, somebody is bound to kill somebody each day!
Bobyjimmie
Contributor
