A car full of illegal aliens led cops on a high-speed chase in Texas last Sunday. The Kinney County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from Border Patrol agents after a driver in a stolen vehicle sped through the town of Bracketville in a pursuit that ended in Spofford. There, the stolen car crashed and rolled, pinning one man underneath the vehicle.
A Border Patrol EMT agent arrived on the scene of the accident, unpinned the man and administered medical care. Four other passengers were assessed for injuries, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). All five were arrested and determined to be illegal aliens. The driver was Wilson Gonzalez-Paniagua, a 20-year-old citizen of El Salvador, who was identified as a human smuggler attempting to smuggle four Mexican citizens. Gonzalez-Paniagua is named in a criminal complaint charging alien smuggling, a crime that carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
"The relationships with our fellow law enforcement agencies increases the safety and security of our communities," said Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Austin L. Skero II in a press release. "Great work stopping this dangerous criminal and saving the lives of those he endangered."
CBP said the arrested illegal aliens were processed in accordance with CBP guidelines.
In June, a deadly vehicle crash that killed seven in Texas resulted from a human smuggling event, said El Paso Border Patrol Chief Gloria Chaves. The vehicle, a mid-size car, was found to have been carrying a total of 10 passengers, seven of which died in the crash. The other three suffered injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The chief provided an update, saying three of the 10 occupants have been determined to be illegal aliens, two from Mexico and one from Guatemala.
