CHULA VISTA–U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Chula Vista Station arrested a man and woman Saturday for transporting undocumented immigrants and endangering their lives while trying to evade apprehension.
On Oct. 26 at approximately 3 p.m., agents near Jamul observed several individuals quickly enter a grey sedan and head westbound towards Chula Vista.
Suspecting a smuggling event, agents turned on their emergency lights and siren to initiate a vehicle stop. The driver refused to stop and fled at a high rate of speed into a neighborhood near Proctor Valley Road. Stopping abruptly near Coastal Hills Drive, agents saw three people get out of the vehicle and run into the surrounding brush.
Before agents could approach the vehicle, the driver sped off to State Highway 125, at times going in excess of 100 miles per hour. He continued northbound, exited, then drove westbound on Jamacha Road. The driver continued to drive erratically and, at one point, tried to run an agent’s vehicle off the road.
The chase came to an end at Darby Street in Spring Valley, when the driver crashed into a parked car. Agents quickly moved in and arrested the 30-year-old driver and his 34-year-old female front passenger. Both were U.S. citizens. Investigating further, agents discovered two more undocumented immigrants concealed inside the car’s trunk.
The three people who exited the vehicle near Coastal Hills Drive were found later and arrested. The group of five undocumented immigrants included three male Mexican nationals and two male Guatemalan nationals.
“This is another example of the dangerous acts human smugglers perform every day for financial gain and how they show no regard for the lives of those involved,” said Chief Patrol Agent Douglas Harrison. “Fortunately, this chase came to a safe conclusion and ended with the driver and co-principal in custody.”
The driver and passenger are being held in federal custody pending alien smuggling charges. The passengers sustained no injuries during the pursuit and are being processed for removal.