Border Patrol agents patrol the US-Mexico border prior to an Easter mass at the fence separating the two countries at Friendship Park in San Ysidro, California on Sunday, April 16, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Sandy Huffaker (Photo credit should read SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images) (CNN) — A vehicle packed with undocumented immigrants flipped Sunday, ejecting 12 people and killing at least five after a chase in south Texas, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said. Four people were killed at the scene about 50 miles from the Mexico border and a fifth person died at a hospital in San Antonio, the sheriff said. KSAT Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd The incident started after a Border Patrol agent in Carrizo Springs suspected smuggling when he saw a trio of vehicles pass him on a rural highway around 11 a.m., US Customs and Border Protection said. The agent stopped one vehicle and radioed a description of the other vehicles to other agents, the agency said. A second agent stopped the second vehicle and several people were arrested from those two vehicles, but the third vehicle didn’t stop when an agent tried to pull it over, Customs and Border Protection said. A Dimmitt County Sheriff’s deputy took over the chase just west of Big Wells, but the vehicle, which was traveling around 100 mph, lost control, ran off the roadway before flipping several times, landing on the highway, according to Boyd. “We’ve seen this many, many times, in not only this county but other counties along the border,” Boyd said. “It’s a problem. … This is, I think, a perfect example of why our borders need to be secure.” ’We need a wall’ Boyd said there were 14 people in the vehicle that flipped. Authorities believe the driver and one passenger are US citizens. Local law enforcement officers were familiar with the driver, who was in the area last week to either pick up undocumented immigrants or to scout, the sheriff said. The other 12 passengers were undocumented immigrants, Boyd said. Boyd said the victims were taken to hospitals. Six patients were taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center in San Antonio, Lt. Edwin Roberts said. He would not confirm if any of the patients had died. The sheriff said he didn’t know where the immigrants were from but said most migrants who travel through the area are from Central America or Mexico. He said his deputies are often involved in chases pursuing people suspected of smuggling undocumented immigrants and drugs. “I think we need a wall, in my opinion,” he said, voicing support for President Donald Trump’s proposal to construct a border wall with Mexico. Boyd added: “If it can be built, I think it needs to be built. But along with that, there needs to be cameras. There needs to be sensors.” 03:06 - Source: CNN Fact Check: Construction on a new border wall? Footage from a motorist who witnessed the crash and posted video to Facebook shortly after shows at least four bodies on the highway, the mangled Chevrolet and several Border Patrol vehicles at the scene. Yolanda Choates, a US Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman, directed questions to the sheriff’s office. When asked why Border Patrol agents started the chase, Boyd said, “It’s called good police work.” CNN’s Amir Vera contributed to this report.<doc-sep>At least five people were killed and nine others injured when the SUV they were riding in crashed while fleeing police and Border Patrol in South Texas, authorities said Sunday. Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said the SUV was traveling at speeds over 100 mph before it crashed near Highway 85, ejecting some of those inside. Boyd said 14 people were in the SUV and 12 of the occupants were suspected of being in the country illegally, CBS affiliate KENS-TV reports. He said a Border Patrol agent initiated the pursuit before a unit for the sheriff's office took over. The driver and one passenger are believed to be U.S. citizens, KABB-TV reports. Boyd said both are in custody and they will likely face state and federal charges. The pursuit took place in Big Wells, about 130 miles southwest of San Antonio. U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a statement Sunday saying an agent based in Carrizo Springs saw three vehicles traveling past his location and believed a "smuggling event" was taking place. The agent stopped one of the vehicles and alerted other agents who stopped a second vehicle. Both stops resulted in multiple arrests, the agency said. Meanwhile, the third vehicle failed to stop when an agent encountered it, the agency said. The pursuit was then taken over by the sheriff's deputy. "Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who died in the crash," the agency said. It added that the incident is under investigation by Border Patrol, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Dimmit County Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection's Office of Professional Responsibility.<doc-sep>At least five people died Sunday when a Chevrolet Suburban carrying them rolled over and crashed on a Texas highway while fleeing the U.S. Border Patrol and local officials, authorities said. The Texas Department of Public Safety said it was investigating the crash, which occurred at 11:18 a.m. local time outside of Big Wells, Texas. There were 14 people in the Suburban, including the driver, according to the department. Video of the scene by the local television station KSAT-12 showed the large, black vehicle was severely damaged, blocking both lanes of the rural stretch of highway. Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd told reporters at the scene that Border Patrol agents had been in pursuit of the Suburban, which was traveling about 100 miles an hour. “The Border Patrol was pursuing a vehicle and one of my deputies assisted in the pursuit, and took over the pursuit just west of Big Wells,” Mr. Boyd told KSAT-12. “From what we could tell, the vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to re-correct and then caused the vehicle to turn over several times.” Multiple people inside the Suburban were ejected as the vehicle rolled, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Four people died at the scene, four were taken to San Antonio Medical Center for treatment, and six were taken to the Dimmit County Regional Medical Center, according to the department. One of the four taken to the San Antonio hospital later died, the department said. The driver of the vehicle was found by deputies inside the vehicle and was able to walk following the crash, Mr. Boyd told KSAT-12. Related Video Now that Congress is back in session, can the House and Senate pass legislation that settles the immigration debate? Possibly, but two x factors stand in the way. The Wall Street Journal's Gerald F. Seib explains. Photo: Getty The driver is now in custody with Homeland Security Investigations, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. In a statement, the Border Patrol said the chase began after an agent spotted “three vehicles traveling in tandem pass his location on a rural highway” and the agent suspected that “a smuggling event was taking place.” Two of the vehicles stopped and arrests were made from each vehicle, according to the U.S. Border Patrol. The third vehicle fled and then crashed shortly after. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who died in the crash,” the Border Patrol said. High-speed chases aren’t uncommon in some U.S. states bordering Mexico, as smugglers and others attempt to flee checkpoints and outrun the Border Patrol. Write to Alejandro Lazo at alejandro.lazo@wsj.com<doc-sep>KENS-TV, San Antonio SAN ANTONIO – At least five people were killed and several others injured in a crash in southwest Texas on Sunday involving a vehicle carrying undocumented immigrants, authorities said. The accident in Dimmit County, Texas, happened just before noon off Highway 85 in Big Wells, about 90 miles southwest of San Antonio. Officials said the vehicle was traveling more than 100 mph when it ran off the road and caught gravel, causing it to roll over. Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said there were 14 people in a Chevrolet Suburban at the time of the crash, and 12 of them were undocumented immigrants. The occupants were ejected, Boyd said. The Suburban was being chased by a Dimmit County deputy, he said. The chase began with a Border Patrol agent as the vehicle was coming north from the border, then the Dimmit County Sheriff's deputies took over. Feb. 21:Police: Driver drinks poison during highway chase in California Jan. 13:Police arrest suspect after Greyhound bus pursuit near Wisconsin-Illinois border Authorities said four people died in the crash, while nine others were injured. One person died at a San Antonio hospital. Eight others were taken to two hospitals. Boyd said the driver of the Suburban also was injured and was flown to a hospital. He said one passenger was taken into custody. The driver and passenger probably will face state and federal charges, Boyd said. The incident comes amid heightened tensions over the treatment of immigrants at the southern border. The Trump administration has said tougher immigration policies — even separating children from their parents — are needed to deter immigrants from coming to the country illegally. Over a six-week period ended in May, about 2,000 children had been separated from their families, administration officials said Friday. Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow KENS-TV on Twitter: @KENS5<doc-sep>
DALLAS -- Five people have been charged in a "smuggling scheme" following the fatal crash of an SUV that was fleeing Border Patrol agents and sheriff's deputies in South Texas, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.The U.S. Attorney's Office for the western district of Texas said the charges were filed in connection to the Sunday crash that killed at least five people . Investigators have said the vehicle was carrying 14 people and traveling more than 100 mph when it lost control and overturned on Texas Highway 85 near Big Wells.Most of the SUV's occupants were ejected.The Border Patrol has said two other vehicles were traveling alongside the SUV earlier in the day, and that an agent suspected the vehicles were conducting a "smuggling event." The border agent stopped one of the vehicles, and another agent stopped a second one. Multiple people from both vehicles were arrested.The third vehicle kept going when agents encountered it, and a sheriff's deputy took over the chase prior to the fatal crash, the border patrol said.Prosecutors said Tuesday that nearly two dozen immigrants were involved in the smuggling scheme.Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said Sunday that four victims were dead at the scene of the crash, while at least one other person died at a hospital. Most of the occupants in the SUV were believed in the country without legal permission. Boyd said the driver and one passenger were believed to be U.S. citizens.The incident comes amid heightened tensions over the treatment of immigrants at the southern U.S. border. The Trump administration has said tougher immigration policies - even separating children from their parents - are needed to deter immigrants from coming to the country illegally.