In a stark appeal via the social media platform TikTok, José María, son of fugitive Antonio Santiago Muñoz, known as 'Saúl el Viejo', has requested a cessation of hostilities with the rival 'Los Lateros' clan. The message, directed at an individual identified as Francis and 'Popeye', comes just a week after José María was injured in a violent shooting that occurred on May 27th in Huelma, Jaén.
The video, over four minutes long, reveals deep resignation and weariness with an endless 'blood debt' that began after the murder of a young man in Adra on June 2nd, 2025. José María, implicitly confirming responsibility for the Jaén attack, addresses his rival: "You catch me sitting at the door with my kids, with everyone, you send a associate over and shoot me." Despite the severity of the assault, he states his willingness to forgive: "You did this to me, brother, come on, it's okay, Francis, I forgive you. For my children's health, I forgive you (...) I'm not going to come looking for you."
The son of the fugitive patriarch, who is currently evading justice, bases his desire for peace on family ties and shared history, recalling that they grew up "like brothers" in the Puente del Río neighborhood of Adra. "It's not about, mate, who has more guts, it's about who is more family," he asserted, contrasting the larger number of members in his group with a smaller rival clan.
José María's account details the climate of terror experienced by his family, which led him to exile himself 300 kilometers away from Almería. "I've put 300 kilometers between us (...) I've left Almería for you, I've left El Puente for you," he explained. He also recounted alleged instances where he had the opportunity to retaliate but chose not to, to prevent further bloodshed, mentioning encounters with Francis and his son at the Gran Plaza shopping center, and with the latter's brother at a gym in El Ejido.
The message also highlights the defense strategy of 'Los Saúles' regarding the original crime in Adra. José María insists that the conflict did not begin with a premeditated murder by his father but as an "accident by a kid and another kid," urging that "justice take its course."
The video concludes with a plea and a warning: he urges Francis to "stop being foolish," to raise his family, and cease hostilities. Otherwise, he warns, he will be forced into a lethal confrontation: "You are leading me, brother, to be forced to come looking for you and die with you. I don't want to pick up a gun and have to shoot you."
José María's words, circulating among both factions and in police circles, underscore the extreme fragility of a truce that hangs by the slender thread of a social media video.
