Policeman dies in shootout with drug suspect in Guatemala

Guatemala City, Agency
One Guatemalan police officer was killed and another wounded when an attempt to arrest a reputed drug trafficker sparked a gunbattle inside a shopping mall in this capital, authorities said.

Narcotics division detective Carlos Arturo Lopez, 22, died at a Guatemala City hospital of wounds received during Wednesday's shootout.

The battle raged for nearly 30 minutes inside the Tikal Futura mall, where suspect Mauro Salomon Ramirez was spotted in the company of four other men and two women, national police director Jaime Otzin told reporters.

While Ramirez managed to flee, the four men - apparently his bodyguards - and two women were taken into custody, police spokesman Donald Gonzalez said.

Seven bullet-riddled vehicles were found abandoned outside the mall after the fight.

Hundreds of shoppers were evacuated from the mall once the shooting started, according to police, 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.