Two-hour gunfight leaves 16 cartel gunmen, 2 Mexican soldiers dead in bloody Acapulco hostage fight
Vargas/Getty Mexican gang members are seen handcuffed in police custody early on June 7, 2009 in Acapulco, Mexico, after soldiers clashed with members of an organized crime syndicate on the night of June 6.
Sixteen drug cartel hitmen and two Mexican soldiers were killed in a two-hour gun battle near the heart of Acapulco Saturday night as terrified travelers cowered in their rooms nearby.
The Mexican Army encountered a barrage of bullets and grenades at a home in the tourist-heavy city after acting on a tip that there was trouble inside.
At one point, more armed men with grenades arrived by car to reinforce the gunmen, but they were killed in the shootout before they could make it inside.
Several other shooters tried to flee as soldiers moved in on the house, but they crashed into a military Hummer that was blocking the gate.
After the fight, troops seized an alarming arsenal: 36 rifles, 13 shotguns, two hand grenades, 13 fragmentation hand grenades, 3,525 cartridges, 180 magazines and eight vehicles, the Army said.
Three soldiers and three bystanders were hurt and many tourists were evacuated from small hotels in a faded neighborhood once frequented by Hollywood stars.
The gun battle raged just blocks from a residence owned decades ago by the late "Tarzan" actor Johnny Weissmuller and about 100 yards from Hotel Los Flamingos, owned in the 1950s by John Wayne. The hotel is still popular with older American tourists.
When the shooting subsided, several frightened people were evacuated by ambulance, including 15 Mexican tourists from a small hotel, a family of four from another hotel, a pregnant woman with her mother from their home, and an elderly man.
Soldiers found four state police officers inside the garage of the house after the fighting stopped. It was unclear if they were hostages, as they claimed, or part of the drug gang.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has staked his presidency on crushing drug gangs whose turf wars have killed about 2,300 people so far this year. Some 45,000 troops and federal police have been deployed across the country to fight the drug war.
Rival drug gangs fought over territory in Acapulco, on the Pacific Coast, several years ago but the resort town has been relatively free of drug violence in recent years.
With News Wire Services
AK-47 assault rifle similar to the ones use in the battle
A two-hour gun battle which began at 7 p.m. local time between the Mexican Army and drug hitmen ended in 18 fatalities at the Mexican holiday resort of Acapulco on Saturday.

Two soldiers and 16 gunmen were killed in the battle. The army was dispatched to follow up on an anonymous tip and were met by drug hitmen lobbing hand grenades and firing AK-47 type rifles.

"There were grenade and rocket explosions, and weapons like AK-47s. The fight lasted almost two hours," said an observer.

Reinforcements who attempted to join the gunmen in the house were killed by army personnel.

Gunmen attempting to flee from the gun battle were prevented doing so by a military Hummer.

Following the battle, the army seized a huge arsenal of 36 large caliber rifles, 13 small-caliber shotguns, two grenade launchers, 13 hand grenades, 3,525 rounds of ammunition, 180 magazine charges and eight vehicles.

Five people were placed under arrest. Between three and nine soldiers were injured along with three bystanders. 22 people were evacuated from the area following the battle including tourists, a family, the elderly, and a pregnant woman.

Four Guerrero state police were found in the garage of the property who claim they had been kidnapped and held hostage. A colonel reported anonymously that their account was not confirmed.

Local media reported that the gunmen were a part of the Beltran Leyva drug-trafficking gang who belong to the Sinaloa Cartel.

Drug related violence has damaged tourism to the beach front resort city as well as economic investment in the area.  The recent H1N1 flu virus outbreak in Mexico which caused 89 deaths, the wearing of masks, school closures and an airport quarantine cost billions of dollars in lost tourism dollars at the end of April.
Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico 
Tourism destinations are offering discounted hotel rates to entice visiting tourists. Hotel Los Flamingos once owned by John Wayne and Tarzan's (Johnny Weissmuller) former home were neighboring tourism sites in the neighborhood of Saturday's gun battle.

Acapulco, population over 600,000 is a city of the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico,  southwest from Mexico City. Guerrero provides a main route for drug smugglers between South America and the United States.

Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon, along with American President, Barack Obama, have initiated a crack down on drug gangs. Rival drug gang violence in Mexico has resulted in 2,300 fatalities in the first five months of this year.