TIJUANA POLICE CHIEF IS KILLED IN DRIVE-BY SHOOTING

TIJUANA, Mexico, Feb. 27 - Gunmen killed the police chief of Tijuana this
morning, firing more than 100 shots into his car as he drove along a busy
highway, the authorities said.

The chief, Alfredo de la Torre, who has led the police force in this
violent border town since 1998, died at the scene, said Enrique Tellaeche,
a spokesman for the Baja California state attorney general's office in
Tijuana.

"He was well known and well liked," Mr. Tellaeche said. "We didn't know he
was having any problems with anyone."

No arrests had been made. The government news agency Notimex said there
were four gunmen, but investigators said they were unsure of the number.
"It appears that at least two vehicles" intercepted Mr. De la Torre's car,
Mr. Tellaeche said. "There were at least 100 shots."

Mr. de la Torre was attacked as he drove home from Mass, unaccompanied by
his bodyguards, on a three-lane highway along the northern edge of Tijuana,
Mr. Tellaeche said. Riddled with bullet holes, Mr. de la Torre's black
Chevy Suburban with tinted windows crashed into a palm tree on the side of
the road, Mr. Tellaeche said.

Tijuana, across the border from San Diego, has been plagued by violence.
The city is the world's busiest border crossing and one of the main points
of entry for drugs being smuggled into the United States.