BIG WELLS, Texas (FOX NEWS)– At least 12-people were ejected from a Chevy Suburban SUV that was carrying illegal immigrants on Sunday, after it crashed following a high-speed chase with U.S. Border Patrol vehicles. It happened near the Texas-Mexico border and at last report, five illegal immigrants were confirmed dead.
Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said four people died at the scene off Highway 85 in Big Wells, Texas, at about noon, and one other person died at the hospital.
Footage of the crash showed four bodies on the ground, the charred Chevrolet and several Border Patrol vehicles at the scene, Fox 29 reported.
The chase had reached speeds topping 100 mph, the sheriff added.
Boyd credited “good police work” for the reason why deputies started pursuing the vehicle, News 4 San Antonio reported, adding that Boyd said human smuggling was a “real problem” in the area.
The sheriff said he hadn’t spoken to Border Patrol on the exact cause of the pursuit and nature of the crash. He added such chases, not the crash, happened almost every day.
Boyd said the driver was known to police, and had been seen in the area “last week,” either scouting the area or looking for immigrants to smuggle.
