Mexican Police Capture Then Release El Chapo's Son After Battle With Cartel

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Mexican officials captured the son of notorious drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán but were forced to release him following an intense gun battle with the Sinaloa cartel in the Mexican city of Culiacán.

It began when a contingent of police and Me National Guard members came under fire from a home while patrolling the streets of the city. They managed to survive the ambush and found Guzman's son, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, inside the house. They detained him, but quickly found themselves surrounded by heavily armed members of the cartel.

Residents fled for their lives as the masked men started firing from trucks and mounted machine guns. With civilians in danger, authorities decided to release Lopez and retreated from the home.

Local officials confirmed that people were injured during the gun battle but not provide details about how many people were hurt or the extent of their injuries.

Lopez is wanted in the United States after being indicted in 2018 for allegedly trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. His father is currently serving a life sentence in a federal supermax prison near Florence, Colorado. 

Photo: Getty Image