Police chase spanning Pinal, Maricopa counties ends with arrest and discovery of 2 migrants, children
A woman led deputies from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office on an early morning chase Friday. After the chase ended, deputies discovered two migrants and two children in the car.
According to a news release from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy attempted to stop a Dodge Charger driving erratically on Interstate 10 near the North Toltec Road exit in Eloy. While in pursuit, a Hyundai traveling alongside the Charger tried to run the deputy's car off the road twice. A second deputy became involved, and a second chase began.
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office says the pursuit of the Charger was called off to pursue the Hyundai because the driver was actively trying to drive the deputy off the road . However, as deputies were setting up spike strips, the driver of the Hyundai attempted to run them over.
The spike strips were successful, the Sheriff's Office said, and the driver was stopped near 7th Street and Osborn Road in Phoenix. The driver, 19-year-old Alma Rodriguez Dominguez, was taken into custody by deputies.
Deputies found two migrants in the car, the release said, along with a one-year-old and five-month-old baby, uninjured. The Department of Child Safety took custody of the children, and the other two passengers were turned over to ICE. It is unclear what relationship, if any, Rodriguez Dominguez had to the unidentified migrants and children.
The Sheriff's Office believes that Rodriguez Dominguez may be involved in the human smuggling of the two migrants.
“These human smuggling attempts are incredibly dangerous for all involved, including law enforcement, the general public, those being trafficked illegally, and unfortunately, in this case, innocent children,” Sheriff Mark Lamb said in the release.
Rodriguez Dominguez will be charged on suspicion of aggravated assault, felony flight, endangerment, and child abuse, the release said.
No information about whether the driver of the Charger is being sought, or whether they knew Rodriguez Dominguez, was released.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Pinal County police chase ends with arrest, discovery of 2 migrants
