A car chase turned to tragedy Wednesday night as police officers pursued a truck packed with 15 immigrants who were trying to get into the United States.
The vehicle, a 1996 GMC Sierra Truck, was headed east towards the Naval Air Station in Kingsville, TX in an attempt to elude the officers. The plan went horribly wrong as soon as they approached the air station at around midnight Wednesday night.
Attempts were made by station personnel to greet the vehicle at the front gate, but the truck barreled past the first guardhouse as it approached the naval base. Senior Cpl. Charlie Ramirez was there when pop-up barriers at the second gate were activated in an attempt to stop the vehicle.
"There are two guardhouses when you enter the grounds of the base," Ramirez said. "The vehicle did not stop at the door of the first guard and tried to enter the naval air base when the guards activated safety barriers that leave the ground to prevent anyone from entering the base itself, and the car crashed head-on."
In all, 6 of the immigrants died immediately and another 9 sustained serious injuries. Authorities claim that the pop-up barriers were not designed to cause fatal crashes.
"That's exactly what the barrier is designed to prevent," said John Gagne, spokesman for Naval Air Station Kingsville. "It's quite possible this guy didn't even know where he was."
The fifteen immigrants were from the Honduras and were trying to enter the United States to find work. Unfortunately, these types of accidents have become more commonplace in recent years as the U.S. Border Patrol steps up its measures to protect the borders.
Most all of these accidents are caused by smugglers who are hired to transport immigrants into the United States. They will often overload their vehicles in order to realize a higher profit.
"The more people he can pack into a vehicle and get through, the more money he makes," said Captain Tom Copeland, of the Goliad County Sheriff's Office. "It's just a tragedy for the families ... that are wondering if their family members made it."
