Gunbattle between Haitian police and gangs paralyzes area near National Palace

By PIERRE-RICHARD LUXAMA
Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Heavy gunfire erupted in the downtown area of Haiti’s capital as police battled gang members near the National Palace for several hours. Local media reported that at least one policeman was shot on Monday after he and other officers were forced to flee an armored car that was later set on fire. Scores of people were trapped by the gunfire in downtown Port-au-Prince as dozens of others managed to flee. The latest gunbattle comes more than a month after powerful gangs began attacking key government infrastructure.