Major League Baseball

Gunfire halts Mexican baseball game

Published Mar. 14, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

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A gunbattle near a baseball stadium in the Mexican city of Saltillo killed three suspected gunmen and sent players scurrying for cover on Tuesday.

The local Saraperos team was playing an exhibition match against a local youth team when the gunshots broke out outside the stadium.

Photos from the scene showed players pitched face down for protection on the field.

Local media reported there were no injuries among the players or fans, but photos showed what appeared to be bullet holes in the team's bus. No one answered phone numbers listed for the Saraperos or the stadium.

Sergio Sisbeles, the security spokesman for Coahuila, the northern border state where Saltillo is located, said the gunbattle broke out after gunmen opened fire on a state police patrol on a street near the stadium.

Police chased the gunmen, killing three and wounding another. They seized three rifles and a vehicle.

Drug cartels are active in the region, but police did not say whether the suspects belonged to a gang.

Gunfire, or reports of gunfire, have disrupted several concerts and sporting events in recent years in Mexico.

Also Tuesday, the U.S. Consulate in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, to the east, issued an emergency message saying it has ''received reports of ongoing gun battles throughout the city of Nuevo Laredo. We advise those in Nuevo Laredo not to leave their homes until the situation is resolved.''

Local media reported heavy gun fire, but city officials were not immediately available for comment.

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