A high-speed pursuit in Laredo on Christmas Eve ended with multiple arrests and a crash that injured four people.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers attempted to stop a Volkswagen Atlas on Interstate 35 as part of Operation Lone Star 2.0, according to Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety – South Texas Region. The vehicle fled, leading to a pursuit that ended in a crash involving another vehicle and several parked cars.
Christmas Eve Enforcement in Action.
During interdiction patrols as part of Operation Lone Star 2.0, @TxDPS Troopers attempted to stop a Volkswagen Atlas on I-35 in Laredo. The vehicle fled, leading to a high-speed pursuit that ended in a crash involving another vehicle and… pic.twitter.com/BlDMYtIPNC
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) December 25, 2025
Chris Olivarez, @LtChrisOlivarez, posted on X, “During interdiction patrols as part of Operation Lone Star 2.0, @TxDPS Troopers attempted to stop a Volkswagen Atlas on I-35 in Laredo. The vehicle fled, leading to a high-speed pursuit that ended in a crash involving another vehicle and several parked cars. The driver and two passengers fled on foot but were apprehended. The driver, Luis Gerardo Velazquez of Laredo (pictured wearing glasses and a gray shirt), was arrested for smuggling of persons and evading arrest. The two passengers, illegal immigrants from Mexico, were charged with evading arrest on foot.”
Olivarez added that all three suspects were transported to the Webb County Jail and that four others in the crashed vehicle reported injuries and were taken to a hospital. The state official shared several images of the alleged suspects and a wrecked vehicle.
High-speed pursuits related to human smuggling are not uncommon along the Texas-Mexico border.
A separate case earlier this year involved Jorge Alonzo Diaz Jr. of Laredo, who was arrested following a pursuit on December 17, 2025, that ended when his Lincoln Navigator crashed into a commercial vehicle. Troopers discovered 10 migrants inside the vehicle, and Diaz was charged with smuggling of persons causing serious bodily injury, evading arrest, and an accident involving serious bodily injury, according to jail records reported by Laredo Morning Times.
Human smuggling cases have resulted in fatalities in Texas in recent years.
In June 2025, two human smugglers were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for a tractor-trailer incident that killed 53 people. Federal prosecutors said the smugglers left illegal aliens in a sweltering trailer in June 2022, resulting in the deaths of 47 adults and six children, according to The Dallas Express.
With regards to the latest arrests, Olivarez said, “Texas DPS continues to combat human smuggling and hold offenders accountable for endangering the motoring public.“
