( CNN ) -- Fifty-three people were killed in a 72-hour span in Ciudad Juarez , Mexico , making it one of the deadliest three-day periods in recent memory , state attorney general 's office spokesman Arturo Sandoval told CNN Sunday . Among the dead were four police officers from three different agencies , Sandoval said . `` This is the worst violence we 've seen this year , '' he said , referring to the three days from Thursday through Saturday . The bloodshed started on Thursday with 14 people killed , including a municipal police officer . Friday was the most violent day , leaving 20 people dead . A municipal police officer was killed by an assassin who belonged to a band of carjackers . Hours later , a state police investigator was executed on his drive home . On Saturday , a highway police officer was killed by a driver who confronted the patrolman after the officer gave him a ticket . The officer was shot 10 times at close range in the middle of the afternoon . In all , 19 people were killed that day in separate shootings throughout the city . Elsewhere Sunday , Mexico 's Public Security Secretariat reported that 13 taxi drivers were killed in the resort town of Acapulco in a rash of violence that began early Friday . Suspected drug traffickers are believed to be behind the violence , setting cars ablaze and destroying street lights and security cameras . Among the casualties , a human head was discovered on a street and another body was found near a charred vehicle . The security office said four people were arrested in connection with the killings , and an investigation is ongoing . Juarez is one of Mexico 's deadliest cities and an epicenter of drug cartel violence . The Juarez cartel and the Sinaloa cartel are fighting a bloody turf war in the region for lucrative smuggling routes , and for drug-dealing territory in the city . The sudden spike in violence left the city morgue overwhelmed . There were issues with where to store the bodies . In light of the violence , Juarez Mayor Hector `` Teto '' Murguia is expected to name a new municipal police chief on Monday , local newspapers reported . Municipal police spokesman Adrian Sanchez told CNN he has read those reports , but that the police department has no official confirmation that a new chief will be appointed . `` At this time we continue serving our current boss until we are given new orders , '' Sanchez said . In the first 40 days of 2011 , Juarez is averaging eight homicides per day , Sandoval said . Also , in February , at least 24 women have been killed in 20 days . CNN 's Berta Ramos contributed to this report .
NEW : Rash of killings is also reported in Acapulco . The Mexican government has deployed thousands more troops to the border with Guatemala and Honduras as part of a new strategy aimed at stopping migrants from heading north. Authorities say 53 people were killed between Thursday and Saturday . This includes four police officers from three different agencies .