- Mexican Marines say Federal Police opened fire on the U.S. Embassy vehicle
- Two embassy employees -- said to be U.S. citizens -- were wounded
- The incident occurred south of the capital
Mexico City (CNN) -- Mexican federales were facing questioning Friday after authorities accused them of opening fire on a U.S. diplomatic vehicle south of the capital.
Two U.S. Embassy employees -- described by a senior U.S. government official as U.S. citizens -- were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening wounds; a Mexican Marine who was with them in the late-model Toyota Land Cruiser suffered light bruises, according to the Marines, which issued a statement giving the following account of events:
The incident unfolded at 8 a.m., as the two embassy employees and the Marine were en route to a military facility in the municipality of Xalatlaco. Some 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) earlier, they had left the main highway that connects Mexico City with Cuernavaca, near the town of Tres Marias, a thinly populated area off the main road.
When a vehicle containing Federal Police approached and its occupants brandished their weapons, the driver of the diplomatic vehicle tried to evade them and return to the main highway. At that point, the police sprayed bullets into the black SUV with diplomatic plates.
Moments later, three other vehicles carrying Federal Police joined the attack, also shooting at the U.S. Embassy vehicle.
By now, the Mexican Marine who was in the embassy vehicle had contacted personnel at a nearby military installation, who arrived after the firing had ended and cordoned off the site.
Both embassy employees were taken -- under Federal Police guard -- to a hospital.
Photographs of the SUV showed the embassy vehicle pockmarked with more than a dozen holes and at least three of its tires flat.
The Federal Police officers involved were being questioned by authorities to establish what happened. They may be prosecuted.
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