A suspected attacker was shot and killed Saturday afternoon in downtown Playas de Rosarito after stabbing a municipal police officer multiple times with a knife. The confrontation took place around noon on Avenida Benito Juárez, one of the city’s main commercial corridors.
Officer Abel Holguín was responding to a service call on the avenue when the suspect ambushed him with a bladed weapon. The attacker stabbed Holguín multiple times before the officer or fellow officers fired shots that killed the suspect. Holguín’s medical condition was not immediately reported.
Midday Attack on a Major Rosarito Street
Avenida Benito Juárez runs through the heart of Playas de Rosarito and is one of the most heavily trafficked streets in the city. The road is lined with shops, restaurants, and services used by both locals and the large English-speaking community that lives in or visits the coastal city, located about 20 miles south of the U.S. border at San Ysidro.
The identity of the suspect has not been publicly released. Authorities have not said what prompted the original service call that brought Holguín to the location, or whether the suspect was connected to that call.
Police Violence in Rosarito: Recent History
The incident adds to a pattern of attacks on law enforcement in the Rosarito area. In August 2024, a Rosarito traffic officer with eight years of service was shot and killed at a checkpoint on the Transpeninsular Highway between Rosarito and Tijuana. In that case, a driver opened fire during a routine stop. The suspect’s vehicle, a white KIA with California plates, was later found in the La Mina neighborhood.
Saturday’s stabbing differs from most recent attacks on officers in the region, which have typically involved firearms. A knife attack in broad daylight on one of the city’s busiest streets is unusual.
Residents and visitors in the downtown Rosarito area should expect a heightened police presence near Avenida Benito Juárez in the days following the incident. Authorities have not issued any public safety advisories related to the confrontation.
This story was first reported by Zeta Tijuana.