Investigators are now trying to identify the driver and the victims, and they have found that some of the occupants are from Central America, including Honduras and Guatemala. Three people were flown by Life Flight to area hospitals, and six others were transported via ambulance to Jackson County Hospital.
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During the chase, the vehicle rolled over multiple times, throwing several of its 15 passengers from the SUV, police said. Officials are attempting to determine if human smugglers were involved.
The crash on U.S. Highway 59 occurred at about 1:30 a.m. when police tried to stop the sport utility vehicle, a Ford Explorer, for an alleged traffic violation. Eight people were treated for injuries and turned over to federal immigration officials.
Louderback has been quite outspoken about the Obama Administration’s cutback on the deportation of criminal illegal aliens and the new Priority Enforcement Program he believes is handcuffing American sheriff’s and keeping them from their duty of keeping their communities safe.
Four individuals were reported dead at the scene, said the Edna police boss, Clinton Wooldridge.
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Last year, a South Texas teenager was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted in a 2012 accident that killed nine immigrants. The teenager had been fleeing Border Patrol agents when the van he was driving with at least 17 immigrants inside flipped.
