Mexico City's Human Rights Commission links cops to club stampede

The police commander who led a botched raid on a Mexico City nightclub will be charged with 12 counts of homicide, one for each person who died in the crush at the bar's entrance, prosecutors said Wednesday.

City Attorney General Rodolfo Felix Cardenas said his office is bringing the charges against precinct commander Guillermo Zayas for failing to halt Friday's mismanaged raid, in which one group of police tried to force youths out of the club while another blocked the exit to prevent them from leaving.

MEXICO CITY -- Police officials on Tuesday fired 17 officers here in connection with a botched raid on a bar last week that triggered a stampede, leaving a dozen people dead.

The firings came as newly released video footage showed police officers blocking exits as hundreds of young patrons tried to flee. The bar's owners were suspected of serving alcohol to minors.

Hundreds of young revelers, many of them celebrating the end of the school year, were packed inside the 1,100-square-foot bar by the time police arrived late Friday afternoon.

The owner announced the raid over a loudspeaker and asked everyone to leave, promising free entrance the following week. But witnesses said they quickly found themselves trapped amid stifling heat.

"The police told us they were not going to let us leave and closed the doors," 16-year-old Rebeca Mohzo, told the Televisa network. "Everyone was desperate because there was no air."

Police videotape of the scene showed pandemonium as patrons were pressed against the exits, many screeching in fear. They were shown fanning themselves in the heat and could be heard pounding on the locked doors.

The footage, broadcast repeatedly Tuesday on television, also showed a tumultuous scene outside the bar as police attempted to revive those who had collapsed, including a police officer.

Separate footage, apparently shot by an onlooker and posted on YouTube, showed helmeted police using their shields to strike some of the escaping patrons.

The club's narrow entrance became a death trap as patrons were crushed and asphyxiated by the crowd, according to witness accounts. The emergency exit was locked.

"The young people shouted 'let us out, let us out,' but the police shouted 'hold on, hold on,' even as they said to each other 'push, push,"' said Felix Cardenas, quoting a witness.

"The police not only tried to prevent the youths from leaving, it was evident they were trying to push them back inside. ... It created something like an accordion effect, which is what caused the deaths."

Felix Cardenas issued a list of about 20 separate errors committed by police during the raid for alleged drug and alcohol violations, ranging from a lack of coordination, planning and strategy to command errors.

Seventeen police commanders have been suspended and were called in to testify in the case. The club's owner and an employee have been charged with corrupting minors because alcohol was sold at the club.

MEXICO CITY — Mexico City's Human Rights Commission cited evidence on Sunday that police may have partly blocked the exit at a nightclub where a stampede killed 12 people, including a 13-year-old girl