The man who ran a Mexico City nightclub where 12 people died in a stampede will be charged with involuntary homicide, prosecutors said Monday.
Alfredo Maya Ortiz not only allegedly allowed minors to drink at the club, but also operated with a locked emergency exit, investigators said. He has been ordered to stand trial on charges of corrupting minors, but claims he served alcohol only to people over 18 _ Mexico's legal drinking age.
His lawyer could not be reached for comment, but family members have denied that he committed any violations.
City prosecutor Rodolfo Felix Cardenas also announced charges against two city officials for making false statements; two police officials and a precinct medical examiner for abuse of authority; and a police officer for robbery, causing injuries, and abuse of authority in connection with the botched raid.
Nine club patrons and three police officers died during a police raid on the News Divine nightclub June 20 when they were caught in a crush of people in a narrow exit hallway. Police, who staged the raid on reports of drug use and underage drinking, worsened the situation by blocking the exit after patrons had been asked to leave.
Among the dead were teens aged 13 and 14.
A statement from the prosecutor's office did not detail the misconduct behind Monday's charges, but youths detained in the raid said police station personnel abused them by drawing numbers on their bodies, making them strip and taking unauthorized photographs of them.
The police commander in charge of the raid faces 12 counts of homicide.
