http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4045162

Oct 29, 2005, 01:11 AM EDT Illegal immigrant leads Kingsville police on chase

KINGSVILLE - A brief chase puts the suspect in the hospital and his SUV in the hands of police. The chase began, when a Kingsville officer attempted to pull over the suspect who is an illegal immigrant. The suspect fled from police, but crashed minutes later when he lost control of his vehicle. The driver appeared to have been part of an illegal smuggling operation.

Despite flipping his Ford Explorer into the brush along Highway 77, the driver got out and tried to run. Officers found him within a few minutes. They then searched the area for contraband and found nothing, but didn't give up. The vehicle was taken back to the police station and it turns out the backseat had been removed. So they searched the gas tank below, but still no luck. So as a last resort, the car was flipped over one more time.

The gas poured out, but they kept with the fiber optics. More signs of smuggling would pop up. Agent Brian Buchanan showed us marks around the bolts of the gas tank.

"They could have been working on the gas tank, but...realistically, it's probably used in either narcotics or money...smuggling money," said Brian Buchanan. There were also spacers in the rear springs to hide any extra weight. "That's something we look for, a weighted down vehicle, which might mean there's a possible illegal aliens in the back of the vehicle. So both sides of the rear springs, here and then down here, have some after market parts."

Buchanan and Kingsville PD officer Mike Tamez said the modifications were a dead giveaway of illegal activity. While nothing was found on this exam the same persistence could pay off the next time.

"Persistence is the biggest deal when it comes to smugglers and traffickers like this," said Tamez. The driver was treated for mostly minor injuries from the crash at Christus Spohn Kleburg. When he is released from the hospital, he will be turned over to the Border Patrol and then deported.