A Mexican police officer was set on fire by a rioter during a demonstration in connection with the alleged beating death of a man in police custody, according to multiple sources.
In the disturbing incident caught on video, an officer is seen sitting on his motorbike as a rioter sneaks behind him and pours a flammable liquid onto the officer before setting him on fire, according to a video that spread on social media and was later published by The Telegraph on Youtube.
The officer can be seen quickly engulfed by flames as he sits on his motorbike. In an attempt to douse the flames, he drops to the ground and rolls over as a group of rioters rush toward him in an attempt to attack the burning officer.
The rioters were quickly blocked and kicked away by other officers in riot gear who shielded the officer set ablaze and took him to safety.
Enrique Alfaro, the Governor of Jalisco, told news outlets the officer set ablaze was injured in the protest, along with five others in the police force.
As protests rage in the United States over the killing of George Floyd who died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck for nearly 9 minutes during an arrest. Similar protests in Mexico have erupted over the death of 30-year-old Giovanni López in the Ixtlahuacan de Los Membrillos area of Jalisco and spurred demonstrations on the evening of June 4.
López was detained on May 4 in the town south of Guadalajara for a misdemeanor equivalent of disturbing the peace or resisting arrest. Hours later he was taken from his cell for medical attention and died.
Authorities in western Mexico arrested three police officers, including the commissioner, and took over their local police department Friday in connection with the alleged beating death of López.
Gov. Alfaro called the killing an “atrocity” and promised to clear up the case, but also asserted that the sudden backlash was politically motivated.
In another video circulating on social media this week, a man is seen being wrestled into a police vehicle while onlookers shout at police that he had done nothing wrong. One of the witnesses asked police if it was because he wasn’t wearing a mask—a requirement under the state’s pandemic measures. Similar claims are being made that López was taken into custody for not wearing a mask.
“This invention, this story that they wanted to construct with political ends to create more indignation that [López] was murdered for not wearing a mask is a lie,” Alfaro said. López was detained for a misdemeanor equivalent to disturbing the peace or resisting arrest, officials said.
Jalisco state prosecutor Gerardo Solís said Friday that López had a criminal history with state and federal charges, which he did not explain. He said that would not make any difference in how the state investigated his death.
Hundreds of protesters marched in Guadalajara Thursday, demanding justice for López. Six police officers were injured and several police vehicles were set on fire. Authorities were able to arrest 28 rioters.
Ixtlahuacan de Los Membrillos lies within territory controlled by the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of the country’s most powerful and violent.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
