Arrests In Mexican Stampede

Three employees for a cattle fair in the city of Guadalupe, Mexico, have been arrested in connection with a May 2 stampede that left five people trampled to death after shots were fired during a concert.

Expo Guadalupe 2010 was hosting the band Intocable when the sound of gunshots rang out, causing a panic-stricken crowd, estimated at 500, to rush the exits.

But according to police reports, the exits proved problematic as one was reportedly welded shut and the other blocked.
At least 17 people were injured, according to the head of the Nuevo Leon State Investigative Agency. The dead – two women and three men – lay outside the building surrounded by litter.

Expo manager Jose Silva, event booker Oscar Garza and venue security chief Alma Escalante were arrested on suspicions of negligence, according to the Latin American Herald Tribune.

Nuevo Leon investigators also told the paper that security cameras had captured images of a man dressed in black who fired one of the two shots.

The shooting occurred outside Monterrey, which has been ravaged with drug-related violence. The Gulf cartel is battling for territory with its former ally, the Zetas gang of hit men. Innocent bystanders have been increasingly caught in the crossfire.

A concertgoer recorded the exit from the venue, which can be seen here.