BP Chase Thru Orange County, CA
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/lagu ... ol-driverr
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Border Patrol pursuit ends in Laguna Hills crash
A vehicle fled from a checkpoint in San Clemente and ended up in an accident.
By ALEJANDRA MOLINA
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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LAGUNA HILLS – A vehicle that fled from an immigration checkpoint in San Clemente ended up crashing in Laguna Hills Tuesday night, authorities said.
No major injuries were reported, said Lt. Steve Doan, police chief for the city of Laguna Hills.
According to Doan, the Border Patrol initiated the pursuit after the vehicle drove off from the agency's checkpoint in San Clemente. The accident was reported at 7:52 p.m. on Alicia Parkway and Paseo de Valencia.
"They got off the freeway and ended up in the city of Laguna Hills where they crashed into some innocent motorists," Doan said.
Border Patrol agent Jerry Conlin said that after the collision, the driver and passenger attempted to flee. Border Patrol agents ran after them and caught them. The pair stated that two people were inside the trunk of the vehicle.
The vehicle that was hit sustained substantial damage and one person was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, Conlin said. A third car had minor damage.
Conlin said the driver and the passenger are in custody and facing prosecution for alien smuggling. The driver is also facing prosecution for high speed flight from an immigration checkpoint.
Contact the writer: amolina@ocregister.com