Video from Saturday night shows an SUV, allegedly stolen, driving into people in front of the Guadalajara Cathedral, in the historic center of the Jalisco capital. Sixteen people were injured, among them children.
Most if not all of the injured were pro-life activists who had just finished a walk through the city and were about to start a prayer session. The National Front for the Family organized the walk.
The driver
The Guadalajara government said police arrested the man “allegedly responsible” at the scene. Manuel Romo, the city’s government secretary, said the man was reportedly in his 30s and under the influence of drugs. According to the city, he took the vehicle near the Corona Market in the center of town and hit the crowd as he tried to get away. A child was inside the SUV, Romo said, and the driver may have panicked when he realized it.
In the footage, two people chase the vehicle. One appears to be its owner.
The group’s president, Jaime Cedillo, said people outside the cathedral hit the driver before police came. “Even though the crowd was hitting him, we protected him until the police [came],” he said.
The injured
Some of the injured suffered broken bones, according to reports. A 14-year-old girl was reportedly trapped under a wheel for a time and was freed only when bystanders lifted the SUV. Mayor Verónica Delgadillo said on Sunday that three of the four people still in hospital were expected to go home Monday. The fourth would stay under observation.
Questions about motive
Cedillo first said he did not believe the driver had planned to run anyone over. “We just spoke to the owner of the SUV and everything seems to indicate that it was a theft,” he said on Saturday. By Monday his tone had changed. He said authorities needed to investigate thoroughly whether the driver had planned an attack on pro-life activists.
“We ask for transparency and speed in this investigation,” Cedillo said. He also called for compensation for victims and their families, which he described as “a matter of justice and respect.”
Delgadillo said she was certain the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office would do its job and that “there will be justice in this case.” The city expressed solidarity with those hurt and promised them help. She added that steps would be taken to “strengthen road safety” in the historic center, with more detail on security operations to come.
