Mexican Cops Leave Town When Murder Is About to Be Committed

MEXICO CITY – A man was murdered by gunmen in Escuinapa, a town in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa, after six police officers fled the scene in two vehicles when they saw what was happening, a video posted on social media sites on Monday shows.

The images show the officers running toward a state police vehicle and a municipal police patrol car, getting in and taking off.

“Puncture the tire, puncture the tire. These (profanity) are going to take off,” a woman’s voice can be heard saying on the video.

The gunmen take a man, identified as 27-year-old Elias Constantino, out of a house a short time later.

“They’re going to kill him. They’re going to kill him,” people are heard shouting.

Shots are heard and a black vehicle is seen leaving town a few seconds later.

Four state police officers and two municipal officers fled town, Escuinapa’s police chief told Mexican media outlets.

The officers have given statements to prosecutors, telling investigators that they fled because they were outnumbered, the police chief said.

Constantino’s body was dumped on the Mazatlan-Durango highway.