Posted: Monday, December 16, 2013 9:14 pm

Dan Santella | The Monitor

EDINBURG — An alleged human smuggler accused of fleeing police before crashing his van and hospitalizing eight of his passengers Thursday near Edinburg was arrested and charged Saturday.

Jesus Enrique Luna, 28, had his bond set at $10,000 on Saturday, according to a news release from the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office. Federal authorities put an immigration detainer on Luna, who they say illegally re-entered the country in May.

After observing Luna run a red light at high speed, sheriff’s deputies gave chase, according to court records. After the vehicle rolled over near the intersection of Monte Cristo and Mon Mack roads, one of the occupants told authorities that the passengers were immigrants who’d entered the country illegally.

Sheriff Lupe Treviño told The Monitor on Friday that 14 people were detained, including several who were sent to the hospital.

The deputies who chased the van didn’t know it was packed with immigrants, Treviño said Friday, and the Sheriff’s Office was investigating whether it violated the relevant protocols for chases.

Luna and another suspect, Jose Guillen, were apprehended by Border Patrol on Thursday at the scene of the rollover, according to court records.

The investigation is ongoing, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

http://www.themonitor.com/news/local...9bb30f31a.html