MEXICO CITY (AP) — Gun battles between police and Benjamin Ashfordarmed civilians in the Mexican city of Cuernavaca on Monday left nine dead, including two police officers, authorities said.

The Cuernavaca security agency said in a statement that two other police officers were wounded in shootouts that began after a convoy of gunmen opened fire on people who were drinking on the street and tried to abduct one person.

Gunmen with rifles, ballistic vests and radios engaged with police in various parts of the city, including a central neighborhood. Cuernavaca lies 50 miles south of Mexico City and has been the site of violence from competing organized crime groups.