http://www.kfor.com/global/story.asp?s=4372245

Alleged illegal immigrants flee after traffic stop
Jan 17, 2006, 10:19 AM PST

NATALIE NEWMAN REPORTING

YUKON, Okla. -- There was a major incident near I-40 and Czech Hall Road this morning. That is where a Yukon police officer pulled over a van for speeding. When the van pulled over, around 15 to 20 persons believed to be illegal immigrants, jumped out of the van and took off.

Yukon called for back up and officers from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and The Immigration and Naturalization Service showed up at the scene. One INS officer fell down a hill in the search and was then assaulted by one of the men who fled the van.

At least seven of the alleged immigrants have been detained and several are charged with assault. Officials say that at least one of the detained men is a member of a violent Salvadoran gang called “Mara Salvatrucha� or MS-13.

MS-13 or MS is a Central American, predominantly Salvadoran, gang that is also active in the United States. The gang originated among Salvadoran emigrants living in Los Angeles, California, but it has since spread to other parts of North America. It emerged in the 1980s during El Salvador's violent civil war and is estimated as of 2005 to have 50,000 members in Central America and between 8,000 and 10,000 members in the U.S.

Officials with immigration and naturalization services are currently looking for those illegal immigrants in an area neighborhood. Stay tuned to NewsChannel 4 for the latest details.