The driver of a pickup truck suspected of human smuggling escaped arrest after leading Border Patrol agents and local police on a chase. The driver rammed a police car during the pursuit.
U.S. Border Patrol agents attempted to stop a dark-colored pickup truck after observing the man stopping to pick up a suspected illegal alien who had just crossed the border from Mexico. As the agents attempted a traffic stop, the driver took off on Military Highway towards the Donna-Reynosa International Bridge.
During the pursuit, a Donna Police Department officer joined in the chase and the fleeing driver rammed his vehicle, information provided to Breitbart Texas by U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Dustin Araujo revealed. The Donna PD officer received no injuries in the incident.
The driver continued to attempt his escape; he rammed the entry gate of the Donna Port of Entry. He continued, striking a second gate before crashing into a concrete barrier. At that point, the driver and a passenger jumped from the pickup truck and fled on foot towards Mexico.
Border Patrol agents and Donna police officers attempted to pursue the suspects on foot, but they managed to escape into Mexico.
The area along Military Highway near Donna is a well-known pickup area for human smugglers to pick up illegal immigrants after they cross the Rio Grande River from Mexico.
With the massive decrease in border crossing since President Trump took office in January, smugglers have been acting more desperate, and assaults on Border Patrol agents have increased. In this case, the smuggler assaulted the Donna police officer by ramming his vehicle. However, according to a Border Patrol report ending February 28 report and reported by Breitbart Texas, suspects assaulted Border Patrol Agents 413 times since the new fiscal year began on October 1.
This represents an increase of 179 percent when compared to the same period last year. During that same period, only 29 Customs and Border Protection officers in different agencies were attacked.
Late in March, 3 Border Patrol agents in the San Diego Sector were assaulted in as many days. Two days before these attacks, an agent assigned to the Tucson Sector became the subject of a rock attack as he attempted to take another illegal migrant into custody, Breitbart Texas reported. The agent did not receive any injuries in the assault and quickly retreated to his vehicle after people on the south side of the border fence began throwing large rocks. The agents truck sustained windshield damage from the attack.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.