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Mexican police forced to release El Chapo's son Ovidio Guzman Lopez as massive gun battle breaks out following his capture in Sinaloa

Masked gunmen set up roadblocks all over the city of Culiacan and were seen prowling the streets with heavy gunfire machinery and shooting at the Mexican police.

BY PRIYAM CHHETRI

UPDATED MAR 3, 2020

Warning: Contains graphic images

Mexican law enforcement captured Ovidio Guzman Lopez, one of drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman’s sons but had to let him go after chaos broke out in the city due to the brief arrest. Masked gunmen set up roadblocks all over the city of Culiacan and were seen prowling the streets with heavy gunfire machinery, exchanging gunfire with the authorities. According to local reports, at least one roadblock of burning trucks was set up by the gangsters while others were put in place by the army.

Another son, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán is also suspected to have been captured, but his status remains unconfirmed reported VICE.

Mexican police patrol in a street of Culiacan, state of Sinaloa, Mexico, on October 17, 2019, after heavily armed gunmen in four-by-four trucks fought an intense battle with Mexican security forces. - Mexican security forces on Thursday arrested one son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in an operation that triggered fighting in the western city of Culiacan, Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said. (Photo by RASHIDE FRIAS/AFP via Getty Images)

The Sinaloa drug cartel boss' son was apprehended after a team of National Guard militarized police were attacked from a house in the city, around 370 miles northwest of Mexico City. After exchanging gunfire they entered the house and found four men including Ovidio Guzman inside. Ovidio was taken by the Guard but heavily armed civilian gunmen surrounded the home and fired on the patrol team. They were overpowered and were forced to back out and release Ovidio, who is accused of drug trafficking in the United States.

José Luis González Meza, El Chapo's family lawyer said that Ovidio was alive and free. Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said in a statement, "The decision was taken to retreat from the house, without Guzman to try to avoid more violence in the area and preserve the lives of our personnel and recover calm in the city." A jailbreak also ensued during this time and approximately 30 inmates broke out of prison and were running onto the streets. While some were captured, it is unclear as to how they escaped.

The body of a man lays in a street of Culiacan, state of Sinaloa, Mexico, on October 17, 2019, after heavily armed gunmen in four-by-four trucks fought an intense battle with Mexican security forces. - Mexican security forces on Thursday arrested one son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in an operation that triggered fighting in the western city of Culiacan, Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said. (Photo by RASHIDE FRIAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Ovidio is 28 years old, according to the indictment and is one of El Chapo's 12 children. He is one of four sons from his father's second marriage. Both Ovidio and his elder brother Joaquín Guzmán López have been named together in the US Department of Justice's indictment from earlier this year where they are accused of cocaine trafficking.

Chapo Guzmán had two other wives and at least six more children. In 2019, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman was found guilty of a number of criminal charges related to his leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel and is currently serving a life sentence at ADX Florence.

Videos of the violence showed up on social media and the clips show people frantically moving away from sounds of continuous gunfire. Photos also showed men in masks with mounted guns prowling the streets. Sinaloa public safety director Cristóbal Castañeda told Milenio television that there had been injuries, but did not give an exact number. Images also showed dead bodies covered in blood on the streets.