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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Video: Police blocked door, caused deadly stampede

By Jeremy Schwartz | Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 10:39 AM

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When 12 people were killed during a stampede at a Mexico City reggaeton club Friday, the accusations started flying. Police laid the blame at the feet of the club’s owner, saying he sparked panic by telling the mostly underage patrons that police were there to arrest them.

But video recorded by authorities, as well as numerous witness statements, paint a much different picture: it now appears that police, who had been called to the News Divine club because of reports of underage drinking, blocked the only open exit to the club, creating the deadly bottleneck. The club, which had been closed for violations in the past, was particularly full because of a Friday afternoon party to celebrate the end of the school year. According to the AP, an emergency exit was blocked by cases of beer.

An uncensored video of the incident taken by authorities reportedly shows police blocking the exit. According to Mexican media accounts, the police were ordered not to let anyone out of the club until more buses arrived to cart away the underage patrons. During the ensuing stampede, nine clubgoers and three police officers died and authorities are investigating who gave the order.

This morning, 17 cops were removed from their post and could face charges. Yesterday, the officer in charge of the operation was charged with murder and there are whispers that Mexico City Police Chief Joel Ortega could be fired. One official with the Mexico City Attorney General’s Office told the El Universal newspaper: “It was a total error by police.”

Here is video taken of the chaos outside the club as the first bodies are taken out (be warned, these images may be hard to take):

Here is a heavily edited version of the video taken by police:

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