Mexico City’s Northern Ring Road was blocked for 15 hours on Tuesday in Naucalli, México state, when some 80 protesters demanded justice for the murder of a 15-year-old boy.
Hugo Carbajal was stabbed in the neck with a glass object in an underground nightclub on Saturday night in Jilotzingo, and although state authorities say that they have identified a suspect and issued an arrest warrant, no one has been detained.
In a protest led by the victim’s parents, traffic was stopped near Naucalli park in one direction at about 9 a.m. before being extended to both sides of the ring road at about 4 p.m, affecting some 12 kilometers of road. Some motorists said on social media that they were stuck in traffic for four hours.
Demonstrators relented at around midnight after talking with the México state Attorney General José Luis Cervantes.
Videos show heavy traffic stretching back kilometers while videos of the protesters show cars blocking one side of the road and about 50 mainly young people holding banners and chanting “Justice for Hugo” and “We are all Hugo.”
Supporters in cars and on foot holding banners held up traffic for hours Tuesday.‼️MANIFESTANTES PARALIZAN PERIFÉRICO EN #NAUCALPAN‼️ exigen la detención de Mauricio “N” quien presuntamente habría asesinado a un estudiante al encajarle una botella rota en el cuello. #justiciaparaHugo pic.twitter.com/5mEy8O9Nti
— FernandoCruz (@FernandoCruzFr7) April 5, 2022
Carbajal’s father, Héctor, a doctor, said his son was killed in a premeditated attack.
“He went to a party last night [Saturday night] and was murdered with malicious intent by a 38-year-old adult. He grabbed him from behind and put a blade in his neck. They had an altercation … the motive for what started the altercation is unknown,” he said.
The newspaper Reforma reported that the man accused of the murder was a security guard at the venue. A video taken in the aftermath of the attack shows Carbajal’s friends trying to save him while the attacker leaves the venue.
Carbajal’s mother, Maureen, told México state Deputy Interior Minister Ricardo de la Cruz that the protest was peaceful, Reforma reported. “We do not want to harm anyone. We just want justice for my son and then we’ll leave,” she said.
De la Cruz replied that there was an active arrest warrant for the suspect.
Governor Alfredo del Mazo was criticized on social media for not releasing a statement about the blockade or the murder after he posted a photo at 2 p.m. at an event celebrating 25 years of Fundación Azteca, the charity owned by the billionaire owner of Grupo Salinas, Ricardo Salinas Pliego.
