Upon receiving intelligence regarding a convoy of six suspicious-looking vehicles discovered near the Mexican border, the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office (KSCO) Special Investigators began to pursue the vehicles they suspected of being involved in an unlawful migrant smuggling ring.
The law enforcement unit found four of the suspected vehicles and went on a 40-mile chase that reached speeds north of 125 miles per hour.
On November 2, 2021, the incident occurred when KCSO Special Investigations Unit (SIU) learned about the convoy of six vehicles discovered near the Mexican border over 100 miles away.
According to the intelligence that the KSCO SIU received, the vehicles in this convoy were suspected of engaging in human trafficking, going from the Mexican border all the way north into the Texas Hill Country.
A few hours later, a KCSO investigator intercepted four of the suspected vehicles on Interstate 10 west of Kerrville as the vehicles were heading eastward.
Once the individuals in the target vehicles noticed the unmarked law enforcement vehicle approach them, they allegedly started making obscene gestures. Then they allegedly proceeded to make aggressive boxing-in maneuvers to prevent the law enforcement vehicle from effectively pursuing the vehicles.
Several KCSO sheriff deputies joined to help the investigator. The chase kicked off when authorities tried to make a traffic stop. Law enforcement reported that the vehicles reached speeds well above 125 miles per hour.
During one part of this chase, one of the vehicles tried to force a special investigator off the highway.
One of the suspected vehicles was abandoned after it exited the freeway close to Comfort, Texas. Law enforcement units in adjacent jurisdictions joined the fray to help KCSO with the high-speed chase. This concerted effort led to two vehicles being stopped close to Boerne.
According to Randy Clark of Breitbart News, “the pursuit covered more than 40 miles.”
Police eventually stopped the drivers of the two vehicles in Boerne and identified them as Emmanuel Dominguez Marrero and Homero Castro Jr. One of the passengers was identified as Luis Silvapardo. He allegedly possessed less than 1 gram of cocaine.
Castro and Marrero were both charged with one count of Assault with a Deadly Weapon and one count of Human Smuggling. Additionally, Silvapardo received charges for one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance less than one gram and one count of human smuggling.
“This convoy of vehicles engaged in human smuggling activities is a new level of aggression from those breaking our immigration laws,” declared Sheriff Larry Leitha. “This pursuit not only put our investigators and patrol deputies at high risk but all drivers in that area of I-10. This chase covered nearly 40 miles of the interstate at speeds that would likely have been fatal had a driver lost control,” he continued.
