Four men and a woman were arrested early Tuesday inside a school while trying to steal several items from the site, said the Municipal Public Safety Department.
Authorities said police officers arrived at 3:35 a.m. at Primary School Benemérito de las Américas at Colonia Esperanza neighborhood, just west of Mexicali’s Civic Center.
Police agents observed three people inside the school, who were attempting to take an air conditioning unit and a compressor.
Two other suspects were observed later at the school leaving a classroom with over 100 yards of electric wire.
The suspects were identified by authorities as Mauricio, 31; Ricardo, 39; Reyes, 20; Ambrosio, 55; and Selene, 29.
Police agents arrested the suspects and transported them before a prosecutor to begin their processing.
Methamphetamine seized, three arrested
Three men were arrested and over 60 pounds of methamphetamine were seized by state police officers on Tuesday in two separate cases, said he State Secretary of Public Safety.
Authorities said Elver Enrique Avila de la Luz, 24, was arrested at Miguel Buenrostro Avenue at Colonia Solidaridad Social neighborhood.
The suspect was taking several packages with drug from a vehicle, a witness told officers.
Police agents arrived at the residence and located the suspect, who after observing the officers tried to abscond inside the house.
The suspect had 40 plastic food containers with 50.7 pounds of methamphetamine, authorities said.
At Fraccionamiento Villas del Colorado, police agents arrested Juan Carlos Monteverde Islas, 30, and Fabián Pablo Beltrán López, 25.
The suspects were inside a Ford Taurus, in which police agents found eight packages with 9.8 pounds of methamphetamine.
Authorities said the drugs came from the state of Sinaloa and were going to be trafficked to the United States.
Also on Tuesday, state agents arrested Alejandro Maldonado Billan, 26, at Fraccionamiento Jardines del Lago in possession of 150 9-millimeter caliber cartridges.
The suspects were transported to federal authorities to begin their processing.
Man succumbs to injuries
A 48-year-old man died early Tuesday after being attacked with a knife outside Mexicali’s General Hospital.
Authorities said Rodolfo Esquivel Limón succumbed at 2:17 a.m. to the injuries caused by a suspect identified as José Luis on Monday evening.
According to authorities, the victim was outside the hospital with a relative who is also an employee at the site when the suspect attacked both.
The deceased man got several injuries in the chest area which performed the victim’s heart.
Doctors tried to keep the victim alive, but to no avail.
This is the first victim of violent crime in Mexicali of 2016.
As of November of last year, the city had 105 homicides reported, a decrease compared to the 123 reported during the same period of 2014.
However, the number means an increase to the 87 homicides registered during the same eleven-month period of 2010.
Mayor appoints eleven officials
Mexicali Mayor appointed on Tuesday eleven officials to occupy the vacancies left in eleven unincorporated areas.
In a press release, authorities said the City Council voted in favor of the appointments during a special meeting held at noon.
Among the nominations are Ignacio Trujillo de la Cruz, who will lead the Los Algodones Delegation, Enrique Sandoval Celis at Progreso Delegation, and José Luis Dagnino López in San Felipe.
Mayor Jaime Díaz asked the new officials to strengthen the city’s efforts during the last 10 months of his period.
City Councilman Jorge Camacho Álvarez, who leads the Rural Development Commission, questioned the appointments given they were not previously addressed by commission members.
