By Matthew Holloway |
Two Arizona teenagers were arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents working in the Tohono O’odham Nation alongside three illegal aliens from Guatemala and one Mexican national in the midst of a human smuggling operation last week.
Border surveillance technology identified a suspect vehicle: a silver 2005 Honda Civic, which had earlier been detected driving southbound on Interstate 19 between Tucson and Nogales. The vehicle was observed driving toward the border and then abruptly reversing course and turning north. Agents at the Three Points Border Patrol Station were alerted to the driver’s unusual behavior at 6 PM Friday according to a statement from Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Agents located the vehicle and noted that it appeared to be “heavily laden,” and performed a vehicle stop. As the vehicle stopped, two male figures in camouflaged clothing were spotted attempting to exit the vehicle when the driver took off, attempting to flee with the trunk open and the two males still inside. The responding agents were quickly engaged in a vehicle chase. The pursuit quickly went off road where it dramatically ended.
“The Honda was driven cross country, off-road, through brush, dirt banks and washes causing significant damage to the vehicle. During the off-road pursuit, agents reported seeing the two men in the trunk nearly ejected from the vehicle. The vehicle came to a stop approximately 100 yards from FR-19. The driver, front passenger, and the two men in the trunk exited the vehicle and fled the area on foot.”
In a post to X, CBP Chief Patrol Agent for the Tucson Sector Sean McGoffin described the encounter, “Three Points Border Patrol Agents were led on a vehicle chase by two reckless teenagers in a Honda Civic. The vehicle chase ended abruptly only after the vehicle was disabled due to the teenagers erratic off-road driving.”
The scene the agents found when approaching the vehicle was harrowing. They observed a three-year-old child with a bloodied nose lying face down on top of a woman identified as his mother in the back of the vehicle. Agents rendered first aid and removed them from the vehicle.
An Air Marine Operations air asset patrolling nearby also responded to the incident and spotted the suspects fleeing on foot. They were able to guide the responding agents to their location where all four were arrested.
McGoffin concluded in his post to X, “The teenagers’ actions nearly cost the lives of everyone in their Honda. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. The Phoenix teens are now in a world of trouble as they will face federal human smuggling charges for their actions. The illegal aliens will be presented for removal proceedings.”
According to the CBP statement, “Smuggling organizations frequently recruit juvenile and young adult drivers from Phoenix to pick up human and narcotic smuggling loads along the border.” This has been reflected in several reports by AZ Free News over the past few months.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
