At least five undocumented immigrants were killed and many were injured when an SUV crashed following a chase involving Border Patrol agents in Big Wells, Texas.
The Chevrolet Suburban is believed to have rolled over many times on the highway around 12 p.m. local time on Sunday after the high-speed pursuit left five people dead.
Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said that the car was traveling at around 100 mph off the Highway 85. The accident affected 14 people in total, 12 of whom were ejected upon impact. Two people are believed to be US citizens. The driver of the vehicle was not seriously injured and taken into Homeland Security custody.
Boyd said, "The vehicle was traveling around 100 miles an hour. The vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to recorrect and then caused the vehicle to turn over several times."
The information about the immigrants has not yet been announced. It is believed that four undocumented immigrants were pronounced dead and the fifth died after being transported to San Antonio hospital.
These high-speed pursuits are 'not unusual at all' according to Boyd. It usually involves drug-trafficking and human smuggling on a daily basis.
"We've seen this many, many times and not only in this county but other counties along the border. This is... I think a perfect example of why our borders need to be secured," he said, according to CNN. "It endangers American lives as well as those people from Mexico or other countries coming here for whatever reason they're coming. It is a major problem."
