Coyote runs mother and young children into canal
Sean Gaffney

MISSION, TX - A police chase Wednesday morning that ended with a mother and her two young children in a canal underscored yet again the danger human smugglers pose to motorists.

Authorities reported no serious injuries, but the crash near Farm-to-Market Road 495 and North Stewart Road illustrated the challenges coyotes pose to the officers charged with catching them.

Mission police started the chase on westbound FM 495 after a man driving a truck ran a red light near Stewart, Mission police Chief Leo Longoria said. The man refused to pull over and turned north onto Bryan Road and then drove along a canal bank back toward Stewart.

As he crossed Stewart from the canal bank the truck collided with an SUV carrying the mother and her two children, Longoria said. The pursuing officer immediately ran from his vehicle and dove into the canal to pull the family to safety. A nearby pedestrian assisted.

The driver of the truck and the immigrants who were on board tried to flee.

“They have no regard for their human cargo,â€