Associated Press
GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan authorities said 15 men stormed into a jail armed with assault rifles and a grenade launcher Wednesday and freed a man a accused of killing a professional soccer player, whose mutilated remains were found in five plastic bags.
A Guatemalan police report said one officer and a bystander were killed as the men made their getaway from the jail in Malacatan near the border with Mexico. Police said six other people were injured, including four police officers and a 10-year-old girl.
Police said armed group were helping Elmer Aroldo Zelada, who is accused in the death of Carlos Mercedes Vasquez, a player for Malacateco in Guatemala’s first-division soccer league.
His chopped up body was found in five bags in a rural community on Nov. 28, a day after the 27-yeard-old was kidnapped while driving with two friends. Along with his remains, police said they found a message saying the player was killed for “messing with other women.”
Guatemala Interior Minister Carlos Menocal said authorities believe the group is affiliated with the Zetas, a Mexican drug cartel.