MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas — A team of cartel gunmen ripped a 1-year-old boy from his mother’s arms near the international bridge connecting Matamoros with Brownsville, Texas.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon near the entrance to the Gateway International Bridge when a team of gunmen riding in a blue SUV tried to kidnap a family in broad daylight, law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas. The child’s mother, Miriam Jeannette Mendoza, as well as other relatives tried to fight off the effort, which led gunmen to wave rifles and allegedly fire shots before fleeing with 1-year-old Emiliano.

Upon hearing gunshots, Mexican troops stationed at the international bridge rushed to the scene and tended to Mendoza, who was hysterically screaming about her child. News of the kidnapping quickly spread through social media as citizen journalists began to share details about the infant and getaway vehicle.

Matamoros is under the influence of the Gulf Cartel (CDG). The CDG controls drug and human smuggling into Texas and is responsible for most of the murders, kidnappings, and extortion in the border city.

Approximately two and a half hours after the kidnapping, Tamaulipas law enforcement officials were able to rescue Emiliano in the Campestre del Rio neighborhood. Authorities arrested two men suspected of being part of the incident and seized a blue SUV. The case remains under investigation, however, authorities are not able to provide a motive.

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 “J.A. Espinoza” from Tamaulipas.