Seven injured in illegal alien chase

By Greg Gross (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer
5:25 p.m. January 12, 2009

RANCHO SAN DIEGO – Seven people were injured Monday afternoon when a car filled with suspected illegal immigrants crashed into a sport utility vehicle on state Route 94 during a chase by Border Patrol agents.

The car, a Hyundai Tiburon sports coupe, was spotted by a Border Patrol agent about 1 p.m. on Deerhorn Valley Road just east of state Route 94 and Via Mercado. The agent tried to stop the car as it headed west on Route 94 near Jamacha Boulevard, but the driver refused to pull over, agent Julius Alatorre said.

California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings said that about 1:20 p.m., the driver of a Lincoln Navigator was making a left turn from Via Mercado to eastbound SR-94 when the Hyundai failed to stop for a red light and broadsided the SUV on the driver's side.

The SUV's driver and passenger were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Pennings said.

Two of the seven people in the Hyundai, all suspected illegal immigrants, ran off and were still being sought, Pennings said. The other five were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Pennings said.
The crash temporarily blocked eastbound traffic on the highway. All lanes were cleared about an hour after the crash, Pennings said.

Greg Gross: (619) 293-1889; (Contact)

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