News Out of Cabo

Crime reporting isn’t typically Latitude‘s purview, but since the Baja Ha-Ha fleet is on their way to Cabo San Lucas, we wanted to ensure that readers and the families of Ha-Ha’ers had the actual facts — not hyped-up sensational stories — of this weekend’s incidents in the normally tranquil town.

According to reports, two gun fights broke out over the weekend, neither anywhere near the tourist-filled marina district. The first occurred late Friday night when law enforcement surrounded a house in which two suspects in the October 25 kidnapping and assasination of homicide commander Martin Marquez Ruiz were holed up. The ensuing gun fight left one marine and one suspect dead.

The incident on Saturday afternoon occurred at the year-old Plaza Sendero mall northwest of the city center on the Todos Santos Highway. According to several reports, police found two armed men in the parking lot so they ordered the mall locked down. Sporadic shots were fired between police and the suspects over a period of two hours. No one was injured in the event and the men were taken into custody.

Baja’s attorney general said there was no evidence that the two gun fights were connected, though he did admit that all suspects are believed to be narcos. He also denied rumors that a curfew was in place in Cabo, and confirmed that no tourists were injured.

According to her Spot track, Profligate arrived in Bahia Santa Maria in the wee hours this morning, with the rest of the fleet expected to filter in over the next day or so. Surf permitting, tomorrow will feature a beach party, and Leg Three will start on Wednesday. The fleet is expected to start arriving in Cabo the next day. Expect a full update from the Rally Committee in Friday’s ‘Lectronic.