Guatemalan drug suspect escapes after shootout with police

Guatemala City, Agency
Two police were wounded Wednesday in a failed attempt to arrest a reputed drug trafficker at a mall in this capital, Guatemalan authorities said.

Four of suspect Mauro Salomon Ramirez's bodyguards were arrested after the shootout, national police director Jaime Otzin told reporters.

The gunfight erupted when police tried to arrest Ramirez at the Tikal Futura mall in Guatemala City, acting on a warrant issued June 25.

Hundreds of shoppers were evacuated from the mall once the shooting started, according to police spokesman Donald Gonzalez, while Guatevision television, which broadcasts from the building housing Tikal Futura, said the entire complex was cleared of people.

Police will continue the search for Ramirez, who is wanted in the United States on drug trafficking charges, Gonzalez said.