Gunfire sends Mexican soccer fans scrambling in battle between police, drug gang

A Mexican first division soccer game ground to a frightening halt Saturday night after gunfire sent players and fans alike running for their lives.

Santos Laguna and Morelia were forty minutes into their match when shots broke out at the Estadio Corona in Torreon, causing both teams to bolt off the field in a panic. Many terrified spectators did the opposite and ran onto the pitch, while others sought protection under seats, in stadium tunnels or wherever they could hide.

Cameras were running as the commotion of cheering gave way to the eerie sound of bullets flying through the air. What nobody realized at the time was that the shootout was taking place outside the stadium, where cops exchanged gunfire with a group of assailants who attacked a police patrol unit, according to Reforma of Mexico.

"Officers spotted three trucks travelling on the [Torreon-San Pedro] highway and ordered them to stop. The trucks ignored the command and shot at the officers, which led to a car chase and a shootout in the vicinity of the stadium", Jesus Torres Charles, chief prosecutor of the Mexican state of Coahuila, said in an interview with Milenio TV channel.

Charles also said a police officer was injured during the chase, but didn't specify what type of injury he suffered or whether it was the result of gunfire. No information was given on the status of the assailants, either.

Once calm was restored at the Estadio Corona, players tried to project a sense of calm.

"Tomorrow we will train, like we always do. Right now we're continuing with our normal activities," Santos Laguna goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez said in an interview with ESPN.

"Don't be afraid."

Fear was apparently a motive for Sanchez's former teammate, Christian Benitez, to leave the team last season.

"Mi family didn't feel safe in Torreon", Benitez, who now plays in Mexico City with Club America, told Reforma.  "My wife wasn't happy because she couldn't go out."

Torreon is one of the most violent cities in Mexico, where over 40,000 drug-related killings have been reported since President Felipe Calderon declared war on cartels in 2006.

Although authorities have yet to confirm whether Saturday's incident falls into this category, Mexican soccer has been linked to some of the country's bloodiest drug gangs, including the Sinaloa, Juarez, Tijuana and the Beltran-Leyva cartels.