by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 10:59 AM ET, Tue January 9, 2018
A series of shootouts near Acapulco left 11 local people dead Monday, though none occurred in tourist-heavy areas.
Eight people were initially killed before dawn in the town of La Concepcion, which is near the resort city of Acapulco, according to the Associated Press. That incident involved gunmen ambushing community police, two of whom were killed.
Later, when state police arrived on the scene, another shootout occurred and three more people died. It's not clear from the Associated Press report who the additional victims were.
In addition to the shootout near Acapulco, which is in the state of Guerrero, 30 members of the community police were taken into custody, said State Attorney General Xavier Olea Pelaez. The individuals are suspected of crimes ranging from homicide to illegal weapons and drug possession.
Among those in custody is Marco Antonio Suastegui, founder of the community force and leader of a social movement fighting against a hydroelectric project in the area.
Journalists covering the incident were also caught up in the violence. Photojournalist Bernandino Hernandez told the Associated Press he was beaten, kicked and dragged by state police. In addition, his camera's memory cards were forcibly taken.
Hernandez, who said he saw several other journalists also being abused, was on the scene trying to photograph police using force against locals who were trying to stop the arrest of community agents.
"Some people were dragged by the hair to take them away," Hernandez said.
"The local, state and federal government authorities are committed to providing the highest security measures for all visitors through the services provided by the continuous surveillance in the tourist areas of the destination," Alex Casarrubias, director of the Port Authority of Acapulco, told TravelPulse. "The shared goal in Acapulco is to provide a safe environment for our visitors to be able to enjoy a pleasant stay."
As an added layer of safety protections for Acapulco's visitors, the Tourist Assistance and Protection Center (CAPTA) was created. Casarrubias described CAPTA as a unique and specialized public safety initiative that's focused on visitors and on providing assistance and responses for any type of incident.
In addition, the number for general emergencies, 911, has been implemented throughout the state of Guerrero.
Acapulco is coming off of a record tourist season. Local officials reported that more than 1.3 million tourists, both domestic and international, visited the destination over the recent holidays, which translated into an average hotel occupancy rate of 80.5 percent.
International cruise arrivals have also been increasing during recent years. In 2017, the port welcomed 32 ships. That's a 78 percent rise over the 18 ships that visited in 2016.
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