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CHP: Immigrant Smuggler Crashes Car; 1 Killed
Ramirez Lost Control Of Car

POSTED: 6:25 am PST January 26, 2006
UPDATED: 6:38 am PST January 26, 2006

SAN DIEGO -- An immigrant smuggler carrying four people in the trunk of a car was under arrest Thursday morning after it crashed as he tried to evade arrest, killing one migrant and injuring the others, authorities said.

Raul Ramirez, 37, of Chula Vista suffered a broken leg in the wreck on Highway S-2, near the desert community of Ocotillo, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Ramirez allegedly sped past a Border Patrol checkpoint some 10 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border around 9:40 p.m. Tuesday. Minutes later, he lost control of the Ford Taurus he was driving, causing it to veer off the roadway, hit several boulders and overturn, according to investigators.

Everyone in the sedan, including three men and a woman riding in the trunk, were hurled onto the rugged terrain, CHP Officer Brian Pennings said.

A 55-year-old female passenger was killed. Her name was withheld pending notification of relatives.

The other suspected illegal immigrants suffered broken bones and internal injuries, the CHP reported. They were taken by ground and air ambulances to emergency rooms.

Ramirez was placed under guard at Palomar Hospital in Escondido. He is expected to face a vehicular-manslaughter charge along with other state and federal criminal counts, Pennings said.