Car tumbles down embankment trying to escape Border Patrol, killing one, officials say
.JPG "A U.S. Customs and Border Protection van is seen next to a bus picking up travelers, mostly migrants from Haiti released from CBP custody, at a gas station that serves as a bus terminal, on Sept. 23, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. On Dec. 25, one person was killed and three were injured after Border Patrol agents pursued their vehicle in San Diego, California.")
Additional details have emerged in the case of a deadly crash involving Border Patrol agents and a vehicle with people suspected to be migrants inside.
The crash, which occurred near San Diego on Christmas Day, left one person dead and three others hurt, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release on Dec. 28.
Customs and Border Protection said in an initial statement that the crash was a “failure-to-yield” incident. Agents said they saw a black sedan loading people into a car, and when they attempted to stop the car, the vehicle evaded them, KSWB reported.
The agency said the incident began at around 5:59 p.m., when National Guard personnel saw a black Honda Accord Sport driving toward the border. Shortly after, they saw the vehicle returning at “a high rate of speed,” the release said.
At around 6:02 p.m., a Border Patrol agent in a marked vehicle tried to stop the Honda. The driver of the other car stopped briefly before driving through a nearby trailer park. Another Border Patrol vehicle was parked near the trailer park’s exit, waiting for the Honda, the release said.
The Honda struck the Border Patrol vehicle on its way out of the trailer park, and the driver continued eastbound as agents pursued the vehicle. At around 6:04 p.m., the driver of the Honda drove off an embankment, ejecting three people from the vehicle. The driver was not ejected but attempted to flee on foot, the release said.
Agents requested emergency medical services and apprehended the driver. One of the Honda’s passengers was declared dead at the scene after suffering head trauma, the release said.
The other passengers were transported to nearby hospitals, the release said.
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Car tumbles down embankment trying to escape Border Patrol, killing one, officials say."