Man kidnapped after gunshots near Alton

NEAR ALTON — Gunshots broke out late Friday afternoon before a gang of men kidnapped tried to kidnap two others near a rural workshop beside an orchard, taking off with one man.

Sheriff’s deputies said several men kidnapped Armado Cantu while he was working at a tool shop at 10612 N. Moorefield Road about 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Dispatchers received a call about a shooting, but after deputies arrived it was clear Cantu had also been kidnapped, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said.

Witnesses told deputies Cantu and Eliberto Mireles were working outside the tool shop when several men pulled up in a white Ford Explorer and a red older model Ford Taurus, the sheriff said.

One of the kidnappers began firing a pistol upon arrival, Treviño said. Cantu and Mireles ran toward a nearby orchard to try and flee the oncoming bullets.

Cantu fell as he ran from the kidnappers, who hauled up into one of their vehicles, Treviño said.

“The bad guys catch up to him and shoot in his direction,” the sheriff said of Cantu. “We couldn’t find any evidence that he was shot or not — that doesn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t.”

Mireles, 33, made it to the orchard and managed to hide out until deputies arrived, Treviño said.

Crime scene investigators determined only one type of bullet was used and believe they were fired from only one handgun, Treviño said. Authorities continue to work toward identifying a possible motive for the man’s kidnapping.

Witnesses told deputies the suspects’ vehicles were last seen headed north on Moorefield Road.

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Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.

Correction: Eliberto Mireles managed to hide out during the shooting Friday afternoon and was not kidnapped. The Monitor strives to accurately report the news in Hidalgo County and the Rio Grande Valley. Please report any errors of fact to the reporter whose byline appears on the story.