Mariachis attack flame eaters as disputes between street performers reach new heights in Mexico

MORELIA, Mexico (AP) — The often violent clashes between street performers in Mexico reached a new level this week when a group of guitar-carrying mariachis attacked a flame-eater.

What happened next was perhaps predictable.

Security camera footage obtained by the Associated Press shows that the mariachis in their white jackets initially got the upper hand: They knocked the flame-eater to the ground and kicked him on the sidewalk in front of a taco restaurant called Hell.

The video then shows the mariachis running away, some with their clothes on fire. The flame-eater had poured a flammable liquid from a small can over them and set them on fire. The mariachis quickly removed their clothes or extinguished the flames. None returned to the fight.

Because competition for tips is so fierce in Mexico, artists and windshield washers often stake out and defend lucrative street corners. Groups of street vendors in Mexico City frequently engage in battles over territory with clubs and sometimes guns.

It is unclear how the dispute began on Sunday in the town of Morelia, west of the capital. Police said in a statement that no one was arrested and only the flame-eater required treatment at a hospital.

According to police, he said he argued with the mariachis and they attacked him.