Mexican authorities told local media Thursday that they have captured Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of the infamous drug lord “El Chapo” Guzman, in Culiacan, the capital of the western state of Sinaloa.
Upheavals have broken out throughout the city as a result of the rumored arrest. Videos and images on social media show gunmen blocking streets and burning trucks. Several shootouts have been reported throughout the city, and people are reportedly taking cover in local businesses as they continue.
Amid the chaos, between 20 to 30 prisoners escaped from a jail, according to local media outlet Milenio.
Local authorities are warning people to stay off the streets as the shootouts continue to ravage the city.
“We are trying to recover the security of the city of Culiacan,” Quirino Ordaz Coppel, the governor of Sinaloa, wrote on Twitter. “I am asking you all to stay safe and be vigilant.”
El Chapo was arrested in 2016 and is in prison in the U.S. He was the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, which was founded in Culiacan.
