A shocking home invasion targeting a group of American tourists in Puerto Peñasco preceded the July 19 shootout there, prompting the U.S. consulate to issue a new advisory to travelers.
On July 17 in the early-morning hours five armed men entered a home in Las Conchas, a beachfront neighborhood populated largely by Americans, said the president of the area’s homeowners association in an email to property owners.
“They restrained the individuals who were renting the house,” wrote president Ginger Beauchamp. “These men stole electronics, bedding, jewelry and an unidentified amount of cash.”
This attack was the most brazen of four that occurred in the last four months, said Chad Cummins, the U.S. Consul General in Nogales, Sonora. The other assaults were on Americans who live in Rocky Point, as the beachside town is known.
One of the victims was attacked in his home and seriously injured, Cummins said.
The consulate plans to issue a new “warden message” this afternoon noting these violent incidents and advising tourists to take heed of the travel warning issued in February. That warning said tourists should travel in the daytime and only use the road from Lukeville to get to Rocky Point, not travel other connecting roads in Mexico.
While violence in Mexico has been commonplace for the last six years, Puerto Peñasco had largely escaped serious incidents, and attacks on foreigners were minimal.
The home invasion in Las Conchas was unprecedented as far as Beauchamp knows.
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