Video of Border Patrol truck 'hitting Native American and driving away' inflames tensions in Arizona

'The nation is aware of disturbing video footage of the incident,' says tribe leader

Tensions between Arizona authorities and residents of a Native American reservation have flared up again after a video surfaced showing a Border Patrol vehicle hitting a man from the tribe before driving away.

It is the latest episode in Arizona's strained relationship with the Tohono O'odham tribe, which numbers around 34,000 people and has territory straddling the border with Mexico. In 2003, Border patrol agent Cody Rouse ran over and killed Bennett Patricio, a teenager from the tribe.

The victim of Thursday's hit-and-run, a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation identified as Paulo Remes, recorded the incident on his phone.

“They just ran me over, bro,” Mr Remes is heard saying on the video. He told the Arizona Daily Star that he was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of injuries from the incident, which took place on Tohono O’odham land about 60 miles southwest of Tucson, Arizona.

Mr Remes appeared to be standing in a dirt road facing the vehicle when it made contact, knocking him to the ground. He also told the newspaper the vehicle's driver did not stop.

The footage spread quickly across social media over the weekend after it was posted by several tribe members and Indivisible Tohono, an organisation focused on the impact of border policies.

“The nation is aware of disturbing video footage of the incident,” said Edward D Manuel, chairman of the Tohono O’odham tribe. He added that the tribe's police department was investigating the incident alongside the FBI and the US attorney’s office.

Leaders of the tribe oppose president Trump’s pledge to build a wall through their land along the border. With strengthened security at other points along the border, the Tohono O’odham reservation has emerged as an important transit point for unauthorised immigrants and drug traffickers - hence the frequent encounters with law enforcement and the Border Patrol.

The US border patrol said that it was “actively investigating” the incident and added: “We do not tolerate misconduct on or off duty and will fully cooperate with all investigations of alleged unlawful conduct by our personnel.”

Robert G Daniels, the Arizona spokesman for the Border Patrol, said the agency was not able to release the identity of the agent involved in the episode.

“All I can say is that this incident is under investigation,” Mr Daniels said.

New York Times News Service