AZ: Police assist U.S. Border Patrol in apprehension

SV police assist U.S. Border Patrol in apprehension of illegals; driver flees
By Gentry Braswell
Herald/Review

Published on Tuesday, July 31, 2007

SIERRA VISTA — U.S. Border Patrol sought assistance from city police Monday morning, after a truckload of illegal immigrants bailed out near the intersection of Highway 92 and Avenida Cochise.Bisbee police often provide such help.

Sierra Vista resident Rusty Bartels took this photo after he saw units from Sierra Vista Police Department and U.S. Border Patrol surround a small pickup truck near the Mall at Sierra Vista at about 9:15 a.m. Monday. Bartels told the Herald/Review he was amazed at the bold attempt by the group of apparent illegal immigrants to cross through Sierra Vista in broad daylight on a weekday. (Photo courtesy of Rusty Bartels)
Monday, there were apparently no injuries, and 11 illegal immigrants were taken into custody, Tucson Sector-Border Patrol spokesman Jim Hawkins said. As of noon Monday, those 11 were still being processed, Hawkins said.

In the after-dawn hours, when illegal immigration traffic usually tends to pick up, Hawkins said, an off-duty Border Patrol agent saw a rental vehicle loading up near the Windemere Hotel with suspected illegal immigrants, so the agent called on-duty personnel to respond.

The rental vehicle was registered out of Phoenix, Hawkins said.

“From what I understand, they got everybody but the driver,â€