A dramatic high-speed chase unfolded in Webb County over the weekend, ending when Texas Department of Public Safety troopers intercepted and apprehended an alleged human smuggler.
The incident began on Saturday when DPS troopers spotted a Ford Explorer driven by a suspected human smuggler traveling on FM-1462. Ignoring troopers’ signals to pull over, the driver of the SUV sped away, maneuvering down the wrong side of the road amid heavy traffic.
DPS spokesperson Chris Olivarez posted a dashcam video on social media that captured the pursuit. The video shows the suspect’s vehicle weaving dangerously between cars, eventually leading troopers onto unpaved dirt roads.
LAREDO – A smuggler driving a Ford Explorer led @TxDPS Troopers on a high-speed pursuit on FM-1472 in Webb County this week.
During the pursuit, the smuggler drove on the wrong side of the road & eventually bailed out. After a short foot chase, the smuggler, from Laredo, was… pic.twitter.com/ONUvI6zv24
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) June 22, 2024
“During the pursuit, the smuggler drove on the wrong side of the road & eventually bailed out. After a short foot chase, the smuggler, from Laredo, was arrested & charged with smuggling of persons & evading arrest,” said Olivarez via social media platform X.
Four other illegal aliens who were passengers in the vehicle were taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol.
This event is the latest in a series of pursuits in Texas aimed at arresting human smugglers and illegal aliens. Just last week, DPS troopers arrested six individuals after a similar chase in Maverick County. The driver in that case, Carlos Alberto Urbina Miralda, an illegal alien from Mexico, faced multiple charges, including smuggling of persons, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, and evading arrest, according to Texas Scorecard.
Authorities have also arrested two men believed to have entered the United States illegally in connection with the tragic rape and murder of a Houston teenager, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The body of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was discovered last week in a creek beneath a bridge on West Rankin Road in Houston. Preliminary information suggests she was strangled to death, as reported by Fox 26 Houston.
According to an analysis by The Center Square, more than 11 million individuals have illegally crossed the U.S. border since 2021. This number includes over 241,000 arrests of illegal border crossers in May alone.
As of May in fiscal year 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows that more than 2.2 million individuals have entered the U.S. illegally nationwide.
