Thread: FL: Manatee manhunt continues for occupants of van

Manatee manhunt continues for occupants of van

By Halle Stockton


Published: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 11:14 p.m.

MANATEE COUNTY - Seven men suspected in a human smuggling operation eluded local and federal authorities during a five-hour search through woods in East Bradenton on Tuesday.

Two of those men -- who authorities said are likely responsible for facilitating the illegal immigration -- may be armed.

The manhunt resulted in afternoon lockdowns at five schools and nearby businesses.

It started about 11 a.m. Tuesday when a Border Patrol agent tried to pull over a minivan with eight Hispanic occupants near Interstate 75 and State Road 64.

The driver of the Dodge Grand Caravan led the agent on a 1-mile chase west on S.R. 64 until he clipped a truck turning right at 48th Street Court East, near a Mobil gas station. The truck driver was not injured, but the wreck disabled the van, which the group ditched before scattering into the nearby woods.

The keys were still in the van's ignition, and coats and sandals were left behind.

One of the occupants, a 19-year-old man, was tackled by authorities and sat in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection squad car throughout the afternoon.

He told investigators he had been in the United States for five days after being illegally transported from Mexico and had stayed in a "stash house" in Arizona, said Border Patrol Agent Steve McDonald.

McDonald did not yet know the group's planned destination.

Border Patrol was assisted by Bradenton police officers and the SWAT team; Manatee sheriff's deputies and the agency's helicopters; and officers from the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Wildlife Commission and Florida Department of Transportation.

Manatee, Wakeland and Bashaw elementary schools, Johnson Middle School and Horizons Academy were put on lockdown for two to three hours Tuesday afternoon because of the potential threat, said Schools spokeswoman Margi Nanney.

Authorities also advised the Publix grocery store near the S.R. 64 intersection to close for safety. The market locked its doors and kept customers inside for about 20 minutes "out of an abundance of precaution," said Publix spokeswoman Shannon Patten.

Johnnie Charles, who details cars at the Mobil gas station, witnessed the crash and tried to chase one of the men but was tripped up in the woods.

"I was worried, you know, because I saw two of them with handguns," he said. "Some were carrying sacks like full with clothes. I Haven't seen anything like it and I'm Haitian and lived in Miami." Charles said the men looked between the ages of 25 and 35, and a few were wearing red and blue jackets.

Agent McDonald said the Border Patrol routinely tracks suspicious vehicles on Interstate 75 for human trafficking.

Since 2004, the Border Patrol's investigations have led to the prosecution of 160 human smugglers using Interstate 75 in Florida, McDonald said.

"That tells you how prolific this activity is on Florida's highways," he said. "It's a big business, and it's a significant focus for Homeland Security."

The search ended about 4 p.m. Tuesday, but Border Patrol agents will continue to investigate and process the van for evidence, McDonald said.

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Agent McDonald said the Border Patrol routinely tracks suspicious vehicles on Interstate 75 for human trafficking.

Uh Oh! La Raza is going to scream about profiling any minute now.

Suspicious behavior on I-75 targeted minivan

By Halle Stockton


Published: Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 6:44 p.m.

MANATEE COUNTY - The old-model minivan with tinted windows and an Alabama license plate caught the eye of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent patrolling a stretch of Interstate 75 in Bradenton Tuesday.

Related Links:UPDATE: Six alleged human traffickers caught The passengers ducking to the floor and the van's sudden speed increase as he followed, tapping the license tag numbers into a laptop, sealed the agent's suspicions.

The riders were cargo -- illegal immigrants who had likely paid up to $2,000 each to a smuggler for transport from Mexico to Florida.

Florida has become a destination state for illegal immigrants and Interstate 75 is an ideal corridor for trafficking because of its fast transit and vast reach into South Florida.

"We've been working I-75 since 2004," said Agent Steve McDonald. "It's a major conduit for all sorts of smuggling: bulk cash, contraband and humans."

Strategy shifted for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2003 when several agencies were consolidated under the Department of Homeland Security.

The agency focused its efforts on protecting the borders -- here, through highways and ports -- instead of only seeking criminal aliens already living in the community, McDonald said.

There are six stations in Florida, and five patrol the highways to track smugglers, McDonald said.

Investigations by the Tampa Border Patrol station have led to the prosecution of 160 human smugglers using I-75 to Central and South Florida in six years.

The nine Tampa-based agents conduct surveillance of interstate activity as far north as the Florida Turnpike down to Manatee County.

"We try not to be predictable," he said, however, the station does concentrate most patrols in Hernando and Sumter counties.

The agents sit in marked squad cars in the highway median looking for high-capacity vehicles, darkened windows and the license plate colors of Arizona, Texas and other smuggling hubs.

When spotted, the agents follow and observe from a safe distance while checking vehicle records and whether associated people and addresses are tied to any investigations.

The pursuit heightens when agents notice erratic and evasive driving and passengers of Central and South American descent trying to hide.

During Tuesday's Manatee County bust, the agent reported seeing the backseat occupants try to hide under the windows.

"It's basically a mix of our observations, our experience and records checks," McDonald said. "All of us have been on the southern border and all of us are familiar with the patterns, practices and characteristics of human smuggling events."

The patrols are not considered profiling by McDonald.

"Profiling would be you're stopping a person solely based on his appearance," he said. "We take into consideration numerous factors ...the totality of circumstances."

If the records do come up clean and drivers act unfazed by a Border Patrol car driving in the next lane, nothing happens.

But when there is "reasonable suspicion," the federal agent can conduct a traffic stop. Often they pull over, and like on Tuesday, occasionally they flee and endanger other motorists.

The smuggling business is "rife with unsavory characters," McDonald said. "You're putting these illegal aliens and the surrounding public in the hands of, in some cases, hardened criminals who treat people with very little regard."

The minivan traveling southbound on I-75 about 11 a.m. Tuesday sped off the State Road 64 ramp and led the agent on a one-mile chase until striking a truck sitting at a traffic light.

The seven Hispanic men inside -- two who were considered armed -- then ditched the car and ran into nearby woods, sparking a five-hour manhunt involving six agencies.

A 19-year-old man was immediately tackled and interviewed; he said two smugglers, or "coyotes," had transported the men from Mexico to a stash house in Arizona, then to Florida. He said he had been in the United States for five days.

"Once we get one of these events, we get a window into the scope and size of the broader conspiracy," McDonald said. "Then, with other DHS partners, we try to dismantle some of these smuggling networks."

The remaining six men were caught in the Inlets subdivision in east Bradenton between 5:30 and 7 p.m. Tuesday. No firearms were recovered.

Authorities initially believed there were eight men but now report that all are in custody. The investigation will be reviewed by the U.S. Attorney once complete.

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