Video taken from a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter revealed a gunman aiming a weapon toward the aircraft close to the southern border. The incident led to a shootout and arrests of suspected Mexican cartel members.
According to footage obtained by Fox News LA reporter Bill Melugin, the helicopter was conducting routine patrols at the Rio Grande Valley in Starr County, just across the border with Mexico.
In the video footage, a person on the Mexican side of the border is seen standing behind a vehicle and aiming at the helicopter with an AK-47.
“Hey, Romeo Zulu units,” a DPS member in the helicopter said, according to the Independent. “The red SUV … they have an AK-47 they just pointed at us.”
The footage becomes blurred as the pilot attempts to maneuver the helicopter away from the gun threat.
Later in the video, the red SUV and several other vehicles are seen driving to a compound of buildings in the desert. A DPS officer identified the buildings as a possible hideout for a Mexican drug cartel.
DPS officials then contacted Mexican authorities to report what they had observed. Soon after that, Mexican military vehicles carrying soldiers can reportedly be seen in the video approaching the suspected cartel hideout.
According to Fox News, a deadly gunfight broke out between the suspected cartel group and the Mexican military group. Five suspected cartel members were killed in the gunfire. Another four were apprehended and taken into custody.
Several rifles, ammunition, and a car were confiscated. It was not immediately established how many alleged cartel members were present during the shooting incident. Mexican police say that some of the members escaped.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, retweeted the DPS helicopter video and pointed a finger of blame at Democratic President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
“Biden’s open border policies embolden the cartels to traffick (sic) women, children, & drugs & attack our law enforcement. God bless @TxDPS for putting their lives at risk to keep us safe,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott posted on Twitter with a link to the footage.
