Border Patrol agents apprehended two illegal immigrants and a smuggler after they spotted a damaged SUV with a shredded tire ‘driving erratically’ on the road near the besieged southern border, according to a border patrol official.
Agents in the Tucson Sector spotted the rental vehicle on Sunday, and noticed that it had a flat tire and ‘significant damage.’ Images of the vehicle show the car had a shredded tire and parts of the car falling off.
In a statement, Sector Chief John Modlin said the female driver eventually slowed down, before jumping out of the moving vehicle and running off, leaving her human cargo on the driverless SUV.
One of the migrants is said to have managed to stop the careering vehicle, before being arrested along with the other migrant. Agents also eventually nabbed the smuggler — a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, who now faces criminal charges.
The wild scene is the latest instance of human smuggling caught by authorities at the southern border. Coyotes frequently attempt to recruit U.S. citizens to smuggle in illegal immigrants seeking to evade Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Last week Fox News obtained video of two boys, ages 15 and 12, who wrecked their vehicle after vaulting onto a highway as they attempted to evade law enforcement while smuggling an illegal immigrant into Texas.
The driver was being chased by Texas troopers and lost control of the vehicle due to the wet road conditions, hit an embankment, went airborne and hit IH-35.
Video obtained by Fox News shows the boys calling for help from the wreckage and officers smashing the windows to get them out. Authorities said that the illegal immigrant being smuggled was located in the vehicle with ‘incapacitating injuries’ and transported to a hospital.