A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper spiked a smuggler’s tires as a Zavala County Sheriffs Deputy pursued the fleeing suspect. Border Patrol agents encountered the vehicle on Texas Highway 57 on Saturday just north of the immigration Checkpoint.
The pursuit began after the vehicle initially failed to yield to a Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agent’s emergency lights. Law enforcement sources operating under the umbrella of U.S. Customs and Border Protection provided the dash camera footage to Breitbart Texas.
A Zavala County Sheriff’s Office Deputy took over the pursuit and continued to pursue the vehicle through La Pryor, Texas. There, an awaiting DPS trooper deployed a tire deflation device.
In the video, a tire can be seen coming off the vehicle as the driver continues his attempts to evade arrest. The vehicle travels into oncoming traffic, narrowly missing other motorists. The vehicle ultimately comes to rest in the oncoming lane of traffic as the driver gets out of the vehicle which is still in motion.
The driver, a San Antonio, Texas, resident was arrested and charged with Evading Arrest with a Motor Vehicle, a felony offense in the State of Texas. Agents found two Guatemalan nationals, illegally present in the United States inside the vehicle, a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu.
Vehicle pursuits involving human traffickers are becoming all too common on highways and backroads near border communities. The increased illegal migrant traffic along the border continues to strain police and sheriffs’ departments in small border communities. The Border Patrol must rely on them as the burden of processing and providing humanitarian assistance to the flood of migrants illegally crossing the border impacts their ability to conduct routine patrols.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.