At least 12 alleged thugs were killed during a battle with security forces on a highway near Hermosillo, the capital of the northern Mexican state of Sonora, prosecutors said Sunday, citing a foiled attempt to free the son of an executioner from the hands of authorities. drug cartels.

A team armed with automatic assault rifles tried to free the son of Jesus Humberto Limón, an executioner of the Sinaloa cartel faction run by sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who had been arrested a short time earlier.

Seven other thugs escaped, some possibly injured, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.

A spokesman for the prosecutor’s office confirmed to the Reuters news agency the number of victims.

Two members of the security forces are hospitalized in stable condition, according to the announcement.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the attack was committed on a road that connects the state capital of Hermosillo with Bahia de Kino, on the Mexican coast on the Pacific Ocean. Seized were 21 assault rifles, including AR-15s and AK-47s, magazines, bulletproof vests, camouflage gear, six vehicles and a “large” amount of ammunition, according to prosecutors.

The episode unfolded as the Mexican government prepares for a long-delayed hearing on Feb. 22 that may decide its bid to hold U.S. manufacturers responsible for the use of weapons smuggled across the border by gangs.