Tourist-Taxi Driver Brawl in Playa del Carmen Sparks Investigation

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The Quintana Roo Mobility Institute (Imoveqroo) will be responsible for acting on possible sanctions against taxi drivers involved in a brawl in the tourist area of Playa del Carmen.

Luis Herrera Quiam, general secretary of the Lázaro Cárdenas del Río union, stated that the institute is the competent authority to potentially sanction the taxi drivers.

“It corresponds to Imoveqroo to handle the responsibilities that apply,” emphasized the union leader.

The video circulated widely several days ago. It shows a confrontation between a tourist and taxi drivers from the mentioned union, in what appears to be Avenida Juárez with Quinta Avenida, in the heart of the tourist zone of this city.

In initial footage, it is apparent that the tourist is already handcuffed by elements of the Playa del Carmen Citizen Security Secretariat.

Following the dissemination of that video, support for the tourist on social media was immediate, with demands for punishment of the taxi drivers, as information indicated they had beaten the visitor, who ended up detained.

However, in a second circulated material, the perception changes drastically, as it shows that the tourist was the one who initially began assaulting the taxi drivers, causing users’ perceptions to shift.

“The report we have is of a brawl at this geographical point on Quinta Avenida,” elaborated the union leader.

Taxi drivers throughout the state, but mainly those from Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, have been under constant public scrutiny due to the entry into operation of digital platforms; in addition to complaints of mistreatment and excessive charges, primarily to foreign visitors, these being the causes, also, of aggressions between drivers and tourists.

Nevertheless, this was a situation unrelated to this phenomenon. Luis Herrera affirmed that, as a union, they will do their part regarding the investigation of what occurred on that occasion.