MEXICO CITY, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Police officers shot dead seven suspected gunmen on Tuesday morning in the western state of Jalisco, the local prosecutor announced.

The shootout happened around 7:30 a.m. in the community of Bajio de San Jose, in the municipality of Encarnacion de Diaz, when at least nine armed men opened fire on a police patrol.

In a statement, the prosecutor-general of Jalisco said the officers returned fire and killed seven of the gunmen. Two other suspects managed to escape to a nearby hill.

The police seized the two cars in which the gunmen were travelling, as well as the firearms they had been using.

The statement said that officers would reinforce surveillance in the region and that an investigation had been opened to identify the attackers.

The state of Jalisco is considered to be the headquarters of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, with one of the most widespread criminal networks in the country.

The state has seen a number of outbreaks of violence in recent months, which have been attributed to the cartel led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho". These include assassinations, kidnappings and a failed attempt against the life of a prosecutor.