SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Seven bodies were found inside a pickup on Monday morning in a neighborhood on the east side of Tijuana.
Tijuana police officials say officers chased the vehicle, which had California license plates, to the parking lot of a gas station.
When the white Ford F-150 finally stopped, officers discovered one body wrapped in a blue blanket inside the pickup.
Police reportedly found the other six bodies in the truck bed, along with wooden planks and several tires.
According to police, a steel drum filled with gasoline was also recovered, and they believe the suspects intended to set fire to the bodies and the truck.
All the victims were men.
“Two officers intercepted and called for help, state and national guard officers responded and when they got to the vehicle they found seven bodies,” said Montserrat Caballero, Tijuana’s Mayor.
Two men were arrested in connection with the discovery of the bodies.
“We’ve done our part with the arrests, now it’s up to the state and attorney general to determine if the suspects were part of a criminal organization or not,” said Mayor Caballero.
During the news conference, Caballero admitted she is moving to an army base for protection after receiving several death threats.
“Given our results in confiscating guns and making arrests, I’ve received threats, but we will continue serving our community and doing our job,” said Caballero.
She did not provide any more details about having to move to a secure location.
Last month, one of Caballero’s bodyguards was shot at but not hurt.
Caballero was not there, but she was scheduled to arrive minutes later for an appointment.
Since then, the mayor, her family and staff have been getting extra security.