As the situation careened out of control, some of the rioters forced their way into a nearby convenience store and ransacked the place.
What began as a combined operation by municipal, state and federal authorities to check the legality of merchandize on sale in the street got out of hand, vendors later confirmed, when officers began to confiscate items that clearly were not “fayuca” (illegally imported contraband) and manufactured in Mexico.
As they became more and more agitated, vendors – a few wearing masks to cover their faces – began to throw bricks, stones, large slabs of ice and other objects at the 90 officers and 45 inspectors taking part in the operation. Forced to retreat from the onslaught, the officials waited for back up as the mob took control of the zone.
An historic focal point for trade in Guadalajara, San Juan de Dios is one of the city’s most volatile zones. It is home to the metro area’s red light district, the mariachi plaza and is considered a den of drug dealing. One street in particular, Obregon, has become the city’s mecca for pirated merchandize.
Traders later claimed youths not associated with their business took the disturbance to another level. Using wooden poles and metal bars, they set about demolishing and burning several cars, one of them belonging to daily newspaper Milenio, as well as a Traffic Department motorbike.
They then turned their attentions to the Oxxo convenience store at the corner of Calzada Independencia and Javier Mina. The employees fled as the out-of-control rioters forced their way into the store and began to help themselves to beer, liquor, cigarettes and other items. They also made off with the two cash tills.
Witnesses confirmed that dozens of people took advantage of the melee to enter the Oxxo store and steal merchandize. None seemed concerned that their actions were being filmed on cell phones or recorded on surveillance cameras.
Meanwhile, frightened employees of other business in the area barricaded themselves in their premises.
The images began to go viral on social media soon after the riot broke out. The United States Consulate sent out emails to citizens warning them to stay away from the area around San Juan de Dios.
To the bewilderment of many, state police assessed the situation for two hours before entering the zone to take control, at around 4:40 p.m. Faced with dozens of officers approaching from four fronts, kitted out in full riot gear, the crowd dispersed rapidly and the disturbance concluded.
The riot created gridlock in the city center. The Macrobus BRT and Tren Ligero lines were suspended and the busy intersection at Calzada Independencia and Javier Mina, as well as other side streets, was closed to traffic. None reopened until almost five hours after the troubles started.
Police arrested four people for theft in the aftermath of the riot. Jalisco Attorney General Carlos Najera appealed for citizens to share their cellphone images of the vandals who ransacked the Oxxo store. He later promised that only those who had participated in theft or the destruction of property would be prosecuted.
Guadalajara city hall later released a statement justifying the anti-piracy raid, stressing that it was carried out in strict accordance with the law.
Others disagreed. Jalisco Government Secretary Roberto Lopez Lara said it was clear that protocols were not followed during the operation, and that the acts of vandalism could have been avoided.
He clarified that the 21 state police officers who took part in the raid were either investigators, actuaries or “secretaries” and not in a position to confront the rioters.