Thread: Illegal Immigrants Crash Truck Into Air Force Base

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/news/local ... tecrashers

Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Metal barrier foils D-M gate crashers foiled, slam into barrier
DAVID L. TEIBEL and HEIDI ROWLEY

Tucson Citizen

Two men are in critical condition after they tried to crash Davis-Monthan Air Force Base's South Swan Road gate early yesterday and slammed into a metal barrier raised to halt them, authorities said.

Investigators believe one or both of the occupants of the truck were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Tucson police Sgt. Mark Robinson said.

Neither man carried identification and nothing was found in their 1999 Dodge pickup indicating they planned to do harm or damage on the base, said Tucson police Lt. Vicki Reza, a police spokeswoman.

As of this morning, neither man had been identified.

Neither Reza nor Col. Michael W. Isherwood, the 355th Wing's vice commander, knew why the men tried to crash the gate.

The men drove south on Swan and through the gate onto the base about 6:45 a.m., ignoring a guard who raised his hand signaling them to halt, Isherwood said.

Security personnel raised a metal vehicle barrier from a recess in the roadway, authorities said.

Isherwood said the driver had accelerated through the gate and slammed into the barrier, which brought the vehicle to a halt.

The barrier was raised at a sufficient distance to give the driver time to stop before hitting it, Isherwood said. He would not say how far into the base the barrier was located, as a security precaution. Robinson said authorities will not release more details about the barrier, including what it is made of or how it works.

Tucson police and Fire Department medics were called and the driver and his passenger were taken to a hospital.

Isherwood said he could not recall any other incident at D-M in which someone tried to crash the base gate.

He said that in yesterday's incident, there was no indication either man had an affiliation with the base, either as a member of the military, a dependent or a civilian employee. The truck did not have a decal authorizing entry to the base, Isherwood said.

Asked at a news conference yesterday if there was any indication of a terrorist tie to the incident, Isherwood said, "absolutely none at this time."

Reza said it is not unusual for police to stop vehicles and find that none of the occupants is carrying identification.

While guards at the gate, a combination of civilian contract guards and military personnel, are armed, no shots were fired during the incident, Isherwood said.

The Swan Road gate was closed to traffic for about six hours as Tucson police investigated, Isherwood said.

Robinson said toxicology tests will be conducted to determine if either of the truck's occupants was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.. He said traffic detectives are assisting base personnel in a reconstruction of the scene.

The reconstruction will determine the exact speed of the truck. Robinson said initial estimates are that the truck was going 40 mph when it ran the gate.




http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=4636354


Air base barrier runner had gun under feet


TUCSON, Ariz. Tucson police say the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into a vehicle barrier at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base had a handgun under his feet and possessed a possible drug substance.

Police Sergeant Mark Robinson says authorities have no reason to believe yesterday's incident was tied to any terrorist activity.

But they're still trying to figure out why it occurred.

The driver _ identified as Fidel Antonio Lopez-Sanchez _ and passenger Saul Cazares Carrillo (Kuh-REE-oh) _ have been upgraded to fair condition at University Medical Center.

Security officers raised the metal barrier to intercept the truck after Lopez-Sanchez ignored an order to stop at the checkpoint and accelerated.

Robinson says the driver had a usable but not salable amount of a white, powdery substance that police suspect was cocaine but which hasn't been analyzed yet.

He says officers also smelled a strong odor of alcohol.


http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/120218.php

D-M checkpoint runners identified
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.15.2006
Police have identified the two men who ran a checkpoint at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Tuesday morning and crashed into a barrier.

The driver, Fidel Antonio Lopez-Sanchez, 28, suffered critical injuries and remains hospitalized.

Lopez-Sanchez was driving a 1999 Dodge truck when he crashed into a traffic barrier aimed at stopping unauthorized base entry to the gate at Swan and Golf Links roads, police said.

In Lopez-Sanchez's clothes, police found a small amount of what they believe may be cocaine. Under his feet, officers found a loaded revolver.
The passenger, Saul Cazares Carrillo, 24, of Three Points, may be treated as a victim in the investigation if investigators determine he had no influence over the driver's actions. He also remains in critical condition at a hospital.

Investigating officers said they could smell alcohol in the cab of the truck.
The truck is registered to a third party and police haven't been able to contact the owner.

Terrorism is not suspected as a motive for the incident, although police can't say why the pair speeded past required checkpoints at the gate. Officials have refused to say how far onto the base the pair managed to travel.

Investigators have not released information about where Lopez-Sanchez is from.


http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/120306

D-M gate crasher had gun in truck
By Carol Ann Alaimo
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.16.2006
The driver of a truck that ran a checkpoint at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Tuesday had a loaded gun at his feet and what may have been cocaine in his pocket, Tucson police said Wednesday.
The truck also reeked of alcohol when rescuers arrived to tend to the driver and passenger after they crashed into a metal road barrier that protects the air base from unauthorized entry.

The men remained hospitalized in fair condition late Wednesday.
Police said they have discounted terrorism as a potential motive and now suspect the duo may have been impaired by drugs or alcohol and confused about where they were.

"We are ready to say that there are no links to terrorism, and we don't have any reason to believe we will uncover one," said Sgt. Mark Robinson, a Tucson Police Department spokesman. "We're looking into the possibility that they were disoriented and got lost."

Police on Wednesday identified the driver as 28-year-old Fidel Antonio Lopez-Sanchez, of an undetermined address; and the passenger as Saul Cazares Carrillo, 24, of the 16000 block of West Greenwald Street near Three Points, about 20 miles west of Tucson.

Investigators are not sure if the passenger was involved in wrongdoing. Carrillo may be treated as a victim if police determine he had no influence over the driver, authorities said.

Base officials ran the men's names through Air Force personnel and contracting records and determined they had no legitimate reason to enter the installation, said Maj. Laurel Tingley, a D-M spokeswoman.

"The people in that vehicle had absolutely no affiliation with the base," she said.

Both the gun, a .45-caliber revolver, and a small amount of what might be cocaine, enough for personal use, were found with the driver. The white powder is being tested, police said.

Authorities still have not been able to question the pair because they have been unconscious since their 1999 Dodge truck slammed into the roadblock after speeding through a D-M entrance gate at South Swan and East Golf Links roads. The incident occurred at 6:45 a.m., and shut down the gate for several hours.

Robinson said the truck is registered to a third party in Southern Arizona, but he would not be more specific because police want to contact the owner first. The vehicle has not been reported stolen, he said.

● Star reporter Becky Pallack contributed to this story. ● Contact reporter Carol Ann Alaimo at 573-4138 or at calaimo@azstarnet.com.

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4647072&nav=HMO6

Man who crashed truck on air base being returned to Mexico
March 17, 2006, 11:17 AM PST
A suspected illegal immigrant who was injured when he crashed a pickup truck into a security barrier at an Air Force base here is being transferred by ambulance, without facing criminal charges, to a hospital in Mexico, authorities said Thursday.

No U.S. law enforcement agencies intended to charge the man, Fidel Antonio Lopez-Sanchez, because doing so would cause them to take responsibility for the man's medical expenses for treatment at University Medical Center since Tuesday, officials said.

"We do this about fairly routinely if there's a foreign national who has no means of paying," said University Medical Center spokeswoman Katie Riley.

"When the city of Tucson has somebody in custody in a local hospital, we can be held responsible for the costs incurred in treating that person," said Tucson Police spokesman Sgt. Mark Robinson. "He was never charged, so he was never in custody."

Lopez-Sanchez also was not in police custody during his three-day stay at UMC, authorities said.

Robinson said police "have been unable to determine that he is in this country legally... so more than likely he is undocumented."

Riley said Lopez-Sanchez had been in a regular patient unit, not intensive care, and that under federal privacy regulations she could not disclose how much his care had cost nor to which border city he was being transferred.

But Riley said the hospital conducts probably five to six such medical transfers monthly.

In addition, during the first six months of the current fiscal year, UMC had incurred about $7 million of billing charges to foreign nationals that have not been paid, she said.

Results of a blood test had not been returned yet to determine whether Lopez-Sanchez had been under the influence of alcohol, which officers detected on approaching the truck after Tuesday's crash at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, or whether he had any narcotics in his system.

Tucson police reported Wednesday that Lopez-Sanchez was found in possession of a white, powdery substance believed to be cocaine. Beneath his feet, officers found a loaded .45-caliber revolver, police said.

Davis-Monthan authorities did not place any charges against Lopez-Sanchez or his passenger, Saul Cazares Carrillo, 24. Tucson police did not charge Cazares either, and the U.S. Border Patrol did not expect to become involved in the transfer, a spokeswoman said.

Robinson said police did not interview Lopez-Sanchez.

An arrest warrant will probably be issued for Lopez-Sanchez after his return to Mexico, and he would be subject to arrest if he ever returned, entered in the National Crime Information Center's database, Robinson said.

But he also added that Tucson authorities would only seek his extradition from within a short distance; not, for instance, from New Mexico or Texas.

Investigators ruled out any connection between the unauthorized entry onto Davis-Monthan and the barrier crash with any terrorist activity.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php? ... 606970.php

Davis-Monthan gate crasher deported

By Arthur H. Rotstein
Associated Press


TUCSON, Ariz. — A suspected illegal immigrant who was injured when he crashed a pickup truck into a security barrier at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., is being transferred by ambulance, without facing criminal charges, to a hospital in Mexico, authorities said Thursday.

No U.S. law enforcement agencies intended to charge the man — Fidel Antonio Lopez-Sanchez — because doing so would cause them to take responsibility for the man’s medical expenses since Tuesday, officials said.


Lopez-Sanchez had been in a regular patient unit, not intensive care, and that under federal privacy regulations she could not disclose how much his care had cost nor to which border city he was being transferred.

The hospital conducts probably five to six such medical transfers monthly.

In addition, during the first six months of the current fiscal year, UMC had incurred about $7 million of billing charges to foreign nationals that have not been paid, she said.

Results of a blood test had not been returned yet to determine whether Lopez-Sanchez had been under the influence of alcohol — which officers detected on approaching the truck after Tuesday’s crash at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base — or whether he had any narcotics in his system.

Tucson police reported Wednesday that Lopez-Sanchez was found in possession of a white, powdery substance believed to be cocaine. Beneath his feet, officers found a loaded .45-caliber revolver, police said.

Davis-Monthan authorities did not place any charges against Lopez-Sanchez or his passenger, Saul Cazares Carrillo, 24. Tucson police did not charge Cazares either, and the U.S. Border Patrol did not expect to become involved in the transfer, a spokeswoman said.

An arrest warrant will probably be issued for Lopez-Sanchez after his return to Mexico, and he would be subject to arrest if he ever returned, entered in the National Crime Information Center’s database.

Investigators ruled out any connection between the unauthorized entry onto Davis-Monthan and the barrier crash with any terrorist activity.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/news/local ... er_suspect

Saturday, March 18, 2006
Man who crashed D-M gate in Mexico
DAVID L. TEIBEL

Tucson Citizen

The driver of a pickup that slammed into a security barrier at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base's South Swan Road gate Tuesday has been sent to a hospital in Mexico and out of the reach of U.S. authorities, a Tucson police spokesman said.

Fidel Antonio Lopez-Sanchez was transferred to a hospital in Nogales, Son., on Thursday, said Katie Riley, a spokeswoman at University Medical Center, where Lopez-Sanchez had been taken after the crash.

Lopez-Sanchez, 28, is a Mexican national and resident of Sonora, said Sgt. Mark Robinson, a Tucson police spokesman.

He was not charged with a crime, and there was no reason to hold him, Robinson said.

If an investigation shows that he was drunk when he drove into the barrier or that the white powder in his possession is an illegal drug, a warrant could be obtained, and he could be arrested if he comes back into the United States, Robinson said.

Robinson said investigating officers are not upset over the hospital transfer.

"It's not uncommon" that people under investigation leave the jurisdiction before charges are brought against them, he said.

Had Lopez-Sanchez been suspected of a more serious crime, such as homicide, Robinson said, he would have been placed under police guard at UMC.

The passenger in the pickup, Saul Cazares Carrillo, 24, who lives on West Greenwald Avenue, about a mile south of Three Points on Tucson's far Southwest Side, remained in UMC, Robinson said.

Both men had been hospitalized in critical condition but by Thursday had been upgraded to fair condition, Robinson said.

Barbara Felix, UMC's coordinator of international patient services, said it is common to transfer foreigners to their home countries as soon as they are well enough.

Patients are transferred in part because of mounting bills for the care of illegal immigrants that have not been reimbursed, Felix said, and because it is better to return them to their homeland, where that country's health care system can provide treatment, Felix said.

Robinson said investigators have traced ownership of the pickup Lopez-Sanchez drove to a man in Nogales but have been unable to contact him.

Col. Michael W. Isherwood, the 355th Wing's vice commander, said Tuesday that Lopez-Sanchez and Carrillo drove south on Swan and through the gate onto the base, ignoring a guard who raised his hand to signal them to halt.

Security personnel activated a metal vehicle barrier from a recess in the road, authorities said.

Isherwood said the driver accelerated through the gate and slammed into the barrier, which halted the vehicle. There were no other injuries.