Web Posted: 10/20/2009 12:08 CDT
Authorities detain 6 unauthorized immigrants after chase

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By Eva Ruth Moravec and Vianna Davila


Half a dozen suspected unauthorized immigrants were detained in South Bexar County on Tuesday morning after leading authorities on a vehicle chase that began in Poteet.

An officer with the Poteet Police Department was attempting to stop a stolen, black Ford Explorer for speeding on Texas 16 just before 9 a.m., when the SUV took off and headed north, said Frank Leal, the acting Poteet police chief.

At the time, authorities believed there were two men in the SUV, which had been reported stolen in Houston.

Officers from the Atascosa County Sheriff's Office then joined the chase, which continued into Bexar County, where more officers joined the pursuit.

Just before Loop 1604, the Explorer turned around and headed south on Texas 16, before turning onto Smith Road, Leal said.

The Explorer then turned again on Morin Road, where it crashed through a private fence and drove through a field, authorities said.

Officers estimated that 12 people then bailed out of the SUV, including the driver, Leal said. They scattered in a wooded area.

Authorities eventually arrested four men and one woman, all suspected of being unauthorized immigrants. Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who arrived to take the people into custody, detained another man en route to the scene, Leal said.

The driver remained at large.

According to Leal, the Explorer's back seats had been removed, allowing more people to hide inside.

The six people detained remained in ICE custody Tuesday.


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