Mexicali, Mexico—April 25, 2006

9:00 a.m.

On a bright, sunny morning, two passenger vehicles travel in tandem through Mexicali, Mexico, en route to the city’s civic center. The lead vehicle is carrying Manuel Diaz Lerma, the Baja California Secretary of Public Safety. Following closely behind is a second SUV, containing the secretary’s bodyguards.

In a remote but populated area, 10 masked assailants appear in bulletproof vests, their identities masked by hoods.

The ambushers—believed to be drug smugglers—launch grenades at the vehicles and unleash nearly 700 shots from assault weapons.

Díaz Lerma's vehicle, which is bulletproof, accelerates and escapes the attack.

The SUV carrying the bodyguards is hit by the barrage of bullets and shrapnel. Three of the officers inside the vehicle are wounded.

The assailants flee.

Investigators arrive on the scene to find the bodyguards and their disabled vehicle amid hundreds of shell casings from a wide variety of assault weapons.

It is reported that some of the cars the attackers used as getaway vehicles bore California license plates.

No arrests are made.