A Ford dealership in central Mexico is closing its doors after a group of gunmen fired several shots into the building. That attack appears to be tied to a series of threats and extortion attempts.

While officials have not spoken publicly about the case, the Ford dealership in Celaya, Guanajuato, shut down after being the target of an extortion attempt by organized criminals, El Sol Del Bajio reported. The owners of the dealership fled the city after receiving a series of threats in recent days. Business leaders in that state expressed concern over escalating violence, claiming it will have a negative economic impact on the region. The closure comes at a time when Guanajuato is seeing a dramatic spike in violence and highway robberies.

Guanajuato has seen 37 murdered lawmen in 2019, largely in targeted ambush-style attacks, Breitbart Texas reported.

Last week, a group of gunmen shot the regional head of Mexico’s National Intelligence Center in an ambush along one of the state’s busiest highways. The gunmen managed to wound the public official and kill one of his guards. Also last week, a gunmen ambushed a state police convoy transporting prisoners, killing five guards. The move apparently sought to pressure the guards to align with organized crime members.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.