Mexican cops patrol Sonoyta after criminals invade

The convoy of about 20 vehicles carrying armed men rolled into town about 9:30 Sunday night and arrived at a baseball stadium near the highway leading south to Puerto Peñasco, according to Mexican news reports and a statement by Sonoyta's mayor.

Residents quickly retreated into their homes, leaving the streets in control of the convoy, which left town in the early morning hours Monday, Mayor Agustín Quiroz said in the written statement.

A call to higher authorities brought 450 police and soldiers into the area, but not until there was a large battle in a remote area east of Sonoyta on Sunday morning. It apparently involved the same group that had been in town, Quiroz said.

Some Mexican journalists are reporting that it took much longer than comfortable - up to almost 24 hours after the arrival of the convoy - for the reinforcements to arrive.

The clash took place in an area about 20 miles east of Sonoyta, part of a region where there have been heavy battles between criminal groups in recent years. When they arrived, the authorities found one man dead and five vehicles abandoned.

Three of the vehicles had been reported stolen in Tucson.

Mexican police arrested one man at the scene - 33-year-old Jaime López Payan, of Guamúchil, Sinaloa. They also arrested 20-year-old José Manuel Osuna Fragoso of Navolato, Sinaloa.

Later, they came across two men injured by gunfire in a hospital - Mexican news reports say the hospital is in Caborca, Sonora. Sabad Vega Álvarez, a 34-year-old from Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, and Juan Antonio Medrano Aparicio, 24, from the state of Mexico also face charges in the case.

Sonoyta is about a two-hour drive southwest of Tucson, across the border from Lukeville. It's the recommended route for travel to the beach town of Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point.

Contact reporter Tim Steller at 520-807-8427 or tsteller@azstarnet.com