One dead, 6 injured in crash during Texas DPS pursuit in Central El Paso

Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times
Updated ·2 min read
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One person was killed and several others were injured in a car crash during a Texas Department of Public Safety pursuit early Monday in Central El Paso, a DPS spokesperson said.

The crash occurred soon after 1 a.m. Monday, Oct. 30, next to Interstate 10 in the area of Gateway East Boulevard and Chelsea Street.

The pursuit began after a state trooper saw a gray Mazda car with a fake license plate speeding northbound on Sunland Park Drive in West El Paso, Texas DPS said in a statement.

A Texas Department of Public Safety vehicle. File art.
A Texas Department of Public Safety vehicle. File art.

When the trooper attempted to pull over the car, the driver refused to stop and continued eastbound into the Central El Paso area, where the car exited Interstate 10 at Chelsea Street and crashed into a concrete barrier, DPS stated.

Several people in the car were thrown from the vehicle in the impact, DPS said. DPS troopers and special agents rendered aid until the arrival of paramedics. One person died at the scene and six others were taken to hospitals.

The identities are still being determined and next of kin have not been notified as an investigation continues, DPS stated.

It has not been disclosed if the car with seven occupants was possibly involved in migrant smuggling. Smugglers often load vehicles with as many people as possible.

More: Texas House OKs bills to fund border wall, arrest people thought to be in U.S. illegally

Smuggler pursuits on El Paso's streets and highways

Drivers working for migrant smuggling groups have been increasingly leading Texas state troopers on high-speed chases in El Paso.

The drivers have orders not to pull over for law enforcement after picking up undocumented migrants near the border, often in neighboring New Mexico, law enforcement officials have said. The migrants are transported to stash houses in El Paso, where they stay until they are taken to cities in other parts of the United States.

More: Federal judge orders US border authorities to cease cutting razor wire installed by Texas

The chases by the Texas Department of Public Safety are often part of Operation Lone Star border security efforts amid the inflow of migrants into the El Paso-Juárez area.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: One killed in crash during Texas DPS pursuit in Central El Paso