Five dead after Texas police chase car full of immigrants 'suspected of smuggling'
The driver, a US citizen, has been taken into custody
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Your support makes all the difference.Five people have been killed and several others injured after an SUV suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants crashed while fleeing from Border Patrol agents in South Texas, authorities said.
The driver of the car, who was transporting 13 other people, lost control while travelling at around 100 mph. The vehicle overturned on Texas Highway 85 and most of the occupants were thrown out of the vehicle, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said.
“From what we can tell the vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to re-correct,” Mr Boyd said, adding that “caused the vehicle to turn over several times”.
Four victims were found dead at the scene and a fifth was pronounced dead after being airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio, Mr Boyd said. A sixth person was in critical condition with potentially life-threatening injuries, he added.
The Border Patrol said in a statement that two other vehicles had been travelling alongside the SUV earlier in the day. An agent suspected they were conducting a “smuggling event,” according to the statement.
The border agent stopped one of the vehicles and another agent stopped a second one. Multiple people from both vehicles were arrested.
The third vehicle did not stop when asked, and a sheriff’s deputy took over the chase prior to the fatal crash, the border patrol said.
The incident comes amid increased tensions over the treatment of immigrants at the southern border.
Donald Trump‘s administration has said tougher immigration policies – even separating children from their parents – are needed to deter immigrants from coming to the country illegally.
Over a six-week period ending in May, about 2,000 children had been separated from their families, administration officials said Friday.
Most of the occupants in the SUV were believed to be in the country without legal permission. Mr Boyd said the driver and one passenger were believed to be US citizens.
A deputy who assisted the Border Patrol with the chase found the driver sitting upright in his seat and took him and the passenger into custody. The driver was also taken to hospital.
“This, I think, is a perfect example, of why our borders need to be secured,” Mr Boyd said.
Some injured were taken by helicopter to San Antonio. Dimmit County is directly north of Webb County and east of Maverick County, which border Mexico.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who died in the crash,” Border Patrol said in the statement.
Associated Press contributed to this report
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