High speed pursuit of teen smugglers ends in shocking car crash
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin has more on two teens who led law enforcement in Texas on a chase while smuggling an illegal immigrant before crashing on 'America Reports.'
FIRST ON FOX: Two boys, ages 15 and 12, wrecked their vehicle after vaulting onto a highway as they attempted to evade law enforcement while smuggling an illegal immigrant in Texas -- the latest shocking high-speed chase at the border involving human smuggling.
The incident took place on Wednesday in Frio County, when the 15-year-old driver led Texas Department of Public Safety troopers on a high speed pursuit on IH-35.
With a 12-year-old passenger who authorities said was a runaway and also involved in the smuggling, the driver lost control of the vehicle due to the wet road conditions, hit an embankment, went airborne and hit IH-35.
Video obtained by Fox News shows the boys calling for help from the wreckage and officers smashing the windows to get them out. Authorities said that the illegal immigrant being smuggled was located in the vehicle with "incapacitating injuries" and transported to a hospital.
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Feb 1, 2023: Smugglers vault onto highway during high-speed chase. (Texas DPS)
The vehicle was stolen out of San Antonio, and the 15-year-old has been charged with evading arrest causing bodily injury, human smuggling causing bodily injury, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and drug possession.
Everybody survived.
The shocking video highlights the problem of human smuggling at the border, which can frequently involve cartels recruiting teens, including American citizens, on social media and elsewhere to smuggle illegal immigrants deeper into the U.S.
The arrest was made by Texas DPS, who have had their resources and presence increased in response to Texas’ Operation Lone Star -- launched by Gov. Greg Abbott in response to the ongoing migrant crisis at the border.
Feb 1, 2023: Texas DPS troopers rescue two teen smugglers and an illegal immigrant.
Last week, an officer stopped a vehicle carrying four illegal immigrants being smuggling into the U.S.
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The driver, identified as Jose Maximo Viera, evaded the trooper through multiple cities, rural roads and dirt roads. During the pursuit, speeds reached 110 miles per hour. Viera reportedly lost control of the vehicle several times due to its speed and wet road conditions.
Viera and the passengers bailed out of the car and ran toward the brush, where troopers located them. Along with Viera, troopers located two men, one woman and a 2-year-old boy from El Salvador hiding in the brush.
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There were 251,000 migrant encounters in December alone. Meanwhile, there have so far been over 300,000 "gotaways" – illegal immigrants who have evaded Border Patrol – this fiscal year so far, sources told Fox News this week.
Fox News’ Pilar Arias and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
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