Thread: TX: High Speed Chase Leaves Three Dead, 12 inj UPDATED 7/10

High Speed Chase Leaves Three Dead, 12 Injured
(July 9, 2007)--Twelve people remain hospitalized in San Antonio after an early morning SUV crash Monday that killed three people.

San Antonio police say that 19 people in all were jammed in the Ford Excursion that led officers on a high-speed chase through the city before dawn.

The vehicle blew a tire on Interstate 10 and flipped several times near Loop 1604, just east of the city.


The three people killed were among those thrown from the rolling SUV.

Police suspect the occupants were illegal immigrants being smuggled into the state.

San Antonio police Sgt. Gabe Trevino says a police officer in the small town of Natalia first spotted the van on Interstate 35, southwest of San Antonio.

Bexar County deputies and San Antonio police joined in the chase that Trevino says reached speeds of 100 miles per hour.

Trevino says officers have the driver in custody.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/8390857.html

Smuggling is a dangerous business.

Oh well . . . stuff happens

The injured will be treated and confined in a hospital payed by taxpayers, the driver in custody but local police cannot question if he is illegal and will be released.. they cannot book him for anything because they don't know who he is and violations only apply to Citizens and those with valid licenses.

they'd better give the driver the death penalty.

Police suspect the occupants were illegal immigrants being smuggled into the state.

Add to the thousand's of reasons to secure our borders:

To alleviate stress on our police force and it's vehicle fleet

Originally Posted by daggul

The injured will be treated and confined in a hospital payed by taxpayers, the driver in custody but local police cannot question if he is illegal and will be released.. they cannot book him for anything because they don't know who he is and violations only apply to Citizens and those with valid licenses.

Exactly! Taxpayers will foot the bill for the hospital, and if the guy gets jail time we will pay for that too! It never ends.

Update

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A man accused of trying to smuggle more than a dozen Central American men in a sport utility vehicle was expected to face capital murder charges following a deadly high-speed chase.

The driver, a native of Cuba, was among the 12 people hospitalized early Monday when the SUV rolled while being tailed by San Antonio and Natalia police. Three other men who were thrown from the vehicle died at the scene, according to a San Antonio police report.

The driver, whose identity has not been released, will be charged with three counts of capital murder in the deaths, said San Antonio Police Sgt. Gabe Trevino.

Police say the injuries of the 12 hospitalized ranged from minor to critical.

All the vehicle's occupants were men and most were believed to be from Guatemala and Honduras. They were apparently being smuggled to Houston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

Four of the SUV's occupants weren't injured. They were being held by ICE pending further investigation.

Authorities say the driver led a state trooper and police from three departments on a high-speed chase that covered more than 100 miles.

Information from: San Antonio Express-News, http://www.mysanantonio.com

http://www.star-telegram.com/448/story/164126.html

This contains the 'update' above but adds more info.
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Officials: Houston Was Destination for Immigrants Before Fatal Accident

Last Edited: Monday, 09 Jul 2007, 7:05 PM CDT

SAN ANTONIO -- A man accused of trying to smuggle more than a dozen Central American men in a sport utility vehicle was expected to face capital murder charges following a deadly high-speed chase.

The driver, a native of Cuba, was among the 12 people hospitalized early Monday when the SUV rolled while being tailed by San Antonio and Natalia police. Three other men who were thrown from the vehicle died at the scene, according to a San Antonio police report.

The driver, whose identity has not been released, will be charged with three counts of capital murder in the deaths, said San Antonio Police Sgt. Gabe Trevino.

Police say the injuries of the 12 hospitalized ranged from minor to critical.

All the vehicle's occupants were men and most were believed to be from Guatemala and Honduras. They were apparently being smuggled Houston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

The Medical Examiner's Office in San Antonio was working to identify the three dead and notify their families via the consular offices.

Four of the SUV's occupants weren't injured. They were being held by ICE pending further investigation.

Authorities say the driver led a state trooper and police from three departments on a high-speed chase that covered more than 100 miles.

Initially, Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Nick DeLeon tried to pull the vehicle over in Frio County on suspicion of speeding. The SUV sped away, ran a stop sign and headed back to Interstate 35, DeLeon said.

The trooper followed the SUV for about 10 minutes, during which speeds reached 105 mph. But he ended the chase after realizing there were more people in the car. State police protocol bans chases when suspected undocumented immigrants are involved to keep from posing a danger to the people in the vehicle and the public.

A Natalia police officer later pursued the SUV, said Natalia police Lt. John Johnson. Lytle police also briefly pursued the vehicle.

San Antonio police eventually joined the chase to backup the Natalia officer, Trevino said.

One of the San Antonio patrol cars pulled alongside the SUV and the driver swerved to try to ram the unit, Johnson said.

It's unclear if the SUV's tires blew before the vehicle rolled, Trevino said

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/pages ... geId=3.2.1