This archive report was first published on 31 October 2019.
On October 17, 2019, a dramatic operation unfolded in Culiacan, Mexico, where over 750,000 people live. The city was gripped by more than five hours of clashes between the Sinaloa drug cartel and security forces.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador addressed the nation during a morning press conference, providing a minute-by-minute summary of the operation. He urged transparency, saying, "Let everything that happened be known."
A video recording, taken from a soldier's helmet camera, shows the moment when Ovidio Guzman, one of El Chapo's 10 children, and two others emerged from a house with their hands up. Security forces, dressed in tactical gear, gestured for them to come forward.
"Come on! Calmly, calmly," the soldiers can be heard saying in Spanish, as Guzman puts on a baseball cap. He is then guided to his knees against a wall.
The soldiers demanded that Guzman tell his people to stop the ongoing street battles. The woman with him informed the soldiers that there were children inside the house, located in the Tres Rios neighborhood.
However, Guzman was able to give orders to stand down, saying, "Stop everything, stop everything, I have already surrendered. Tell them to stop... I don't want there to be chaos, please!"
Despite the failed arrest, officials showed video of National Guard members being attacked throughout the city during the press conference. President Lopez Obrador explained, "And when you see those things, what happened, is when you better understand why the operation was ordered to stop."
