4 men arrested in border killing

Four Mexican men were arrested and charged with homicide Thursday in the beating death of a man who allegedly tried to rob them at gunpoint as they attempted to cross into the United States.

The unidentified man who was killed appeared to specialize in robbing migrants, the government news agency Notimex quoted police as saying. Armed thieves often hide in the desert near the U.S. border and prey on would-be undocumented crossers, who sometimes carry money for the journey.

The four men from Nogales and Chiapas states were attempting to cross a desert pass west of Nogales, Sonora _ across the border from Nogales, Ariz. _ with 18 others on Wednesday when they were approached by a man armed with a gun who demanded their valuables, Notimex said.

When the man demanded the group of men and women strip _ and allegedly touched one of the women improperly _ the men in the group fought back and allegedly beat the robber to death, the agency said.

Self-defense is considered a legal defense in Mexican law, but it was unclear whether the suspects pleaded self-defense or whether that plea would be accepted by a judge.