A 21-year-old man was shot in the hand Monday after two fellow passengers tried to rob him at gunpoint inside a shared taxi on Boulevard Cuauhtémoc in Tijuana, according to Punto Norte.
The attack happened near the Flamingos neighborhood as the taxi headed toward Zona Río, a commercial district popular with both locals and cross-border visitors. Two passengers demanded the victim’s watch at gunpoint. When he resisted, one of the assailants fired, striking him in the hand. Both robbers fled.
The victim left the taxi and made his own way to Hospital General de la Zona Este, where medical staff reported the gunshot wound to authorities as required by Mexican law. He had not called emergency services himself, a common pattern that contributes to Tijuana’s high rate of unreported crime.
Shared taxis, known locally as “taxis de ruta,” operate on fixed routes across Tijuana and pick up multiple passengers along the way. They are cheaper than private rides but leave passengers seated alongside strangers with little ability to vet who gets in. For expats commuting from neighborhoods like Playas de Tijuana or tourists heading from the border crossing into Zona Río, these vehicles are a routine part of getting around the city.
Armed robberies targeting taxi passengers and drivers have been a persistent problem in Tijuana. Taxi union leader Baltazar Gómez Ruiz has publicly called for more police protection, saying the entire city has grown more dangerous for those who work in or rely on the taxi system. Tijuana’s police chief, José Fernando Sánchez González, has acknowledged that robbers increasingly use weapons during street crimes.
Boulevard Cuauhtémoc runs through central Tijuana and connects several heavily trafficked neighborhoods. Visitors who use shared taxis along this corridor, particularly after dark, should be aware of the risk. Private ride-hailing apps like Uber and DiDi offer an alternative, though they carry their own safety considerations in the city.