1 Mexican migrant dead, 2 injured after Border Patrol, DPS car chase in Tucson
One migrant is dead and two others are injured after an Aug. 4 car chase with U.S. Border Patrol and the Arizona Department of Public Safety in Tucson.
One of the male passengers, identified as a Mexican citizen, died less than an hour after the crash at Banner University Medical Center. An autopsy was performed Aug. 7 by the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner. The autopsy report is pending.
An Arizona DPS trooper in an unmarked Dodge Charger arrived at the crash site about two minutes after the Yukon had come to a stop, per CBP. The pursuing Border Patrol agent in a transport van arrived roughly 10 seconds after the trooper.
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The car chase began at 3:33 a.m. near Willcox when the Border Patrol agent saw the Yukon driving north on State Route 80. The agent in the van tried to stop the Yukon with emergency lights and a siren but the Yukon kept driving.
The agent chased the Yukon westbound on I-10 as the Yukon was going 95 miles per hour. The agent asked for assistance from more agents, CBP air assets and DPS.
After being advised by a supervisory agent, the pursuing agent stopped chasing the Yukon at 3:45 a.m. and turned off the van’s lights and siren. The supervisory agent said there was no support available from CBP air assets or other agents.
A Border Patrol watch commander deployed a vehicle immobilization device to try to stop the Yukon on I-10 shortly before 4 a.m. The effort was unsuccessful and the watch commander spiked an uninvolved vehicle.
The commander assisted the occupants of the vehicle with repairs and reported that they had not suffered any injuries. The Yukon continued westbound on I-10.
A DPS trooper in an unmarked Charger began chasing the Yukon. The car chase continued off of the Valencia Road exit before the Yukon crashed, per CBP.
The Tucson Fire Department took the three migrants to the Banner University Medical Center where Border Patrol agents established a hospital watch.
The incident is under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Tucson Police Department and the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner. The crash is under review by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General was notified.
Have a news tip or story idea about the border and its communities? Contact the reporter at josecastaneda@arizonarepublic.com or connect with him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @joseicastaneda.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 1 migrant dead, 2 injured after Border Patrol, DPS Tucson car chase
