RIO BRAVO, Tamaulipas — Motorists were caught by surprise as rival cartel gunmen clashed in the streets this week.

The battle took place this week when gunmen with the “Metros” faction of the Gulf Cartel based in Reynosa moved into Rio Bravo to fight their rivals. Soon after, the military intervened–setting off a multi-front firefight. The Gulf Cartel factions have engaged in turf fights now spanning longer than a year.

Citizen journalists recorded the moments when the battle began along one of the city’s main boulevards. Authorities did not reveal if any cartel gunmen or military personnel were killed.

Rio Bravo is immediately south of Donna, Texas, and is considered a major smuggling route for the Gulf Cartel. Initially, Rio Bravo was controlled by “Los Metros,” however, over time, their rivals from Matamoros managed to make significant pushes west.

In recent days, three Gulf Cartel gunmen died in a clash in Reynosa. One is believed to be the brother of a cartel commander who goes by the name “Pezon.” Some of the vehicles left behind from the shootout featured the name.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “A.C. Del Angel” from Tamaulipas.