One hostage was rescued and four kidnappers were killed after gunfire broke out in Tijuana during a rescue operation led by the State Preventive Police (PEP) on Wednesday night.

The deadly confrontation occurred at approximately 7:30 pm in colonia Santa Fe III when the PEP launched a rescue operation against a safe house, according to local media reports. While approaching the residence, the state police came under fire from kidnappers, setting off an intense gun battle. The Mexican Navy (SEMAR) and the Tijuana Municipal Police provided reinforcements during the skirmish.

The gun battle lasted about 30 minutes and security personnel were eventually able to repel the attack, eventually performing a tactical entry into the residence. They discovered four deceased kidnappers and a male victim held against his will. The crime scene was handed over to ministerial police investigators from the state attorney general’s office. Amateur recordings of the gun battle were captured and released on social media.

#Tijuana

Al menos 4 muertos, presuntos secuestradores y una persona rescatada es el saldo al momento en la balacera entre la Policía Estatal Preventiva(PEP) en el área de Santa Fe 3ra seccion. pic.twitter.com/a0AkonilNd — Berenice Díaz (@BereniceDiazG) September 6, 2018

Breitbart Texas reported recently on the epidemic of cartel violence and kidnappings throughout Tijuana. In July, six kidnappers were arrested–including a municipal police officer. In May, five kidnappers were arrested using cloned police vehicles.

According to the Secretariado Ejecutivo del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública (SESNSP), Tijuana is on a record-breaking pace for homicides with at least 1,600 in 2018.

Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.) You can follow him on Twitter. He can be reached at robertrarce@gmail.com