A suspected migrant smuggler and seven others died after the driver’s vehicle collided with an innocent motorist near Batesville, Texas. According to a law enforcement source, the smuggler who was transporting five suspected migrants and was fleeing from Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol troopers when the accident occurred just before 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday.
The accident occurred on U.S. Highway 57 in Zavala County near the small farming community of Batesville — more than 50 miles from the border. According to the source, a DPS Highway Patrol trooper noted suspicious behavior by the occupants and attempted to stop the vehicle. A pursuit ensued that ended when the suspected migrant smuggler crashed into an oncoming vehicle, killing himself and five suspected migrants. Two occupants in the oncoming vehicle, unrelated to the suspected migrant smuggling, were also killed as a result.
This pursuit is but one of many law enforcement officers in Zavala County have witnessed in recent months. An increase in migrant smuggling on rural Texas roadways has led to more high-speed police pursuits. These pursuits sometimes end in vehicle crashes, causing extensive…
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