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Pursued driver nearly strikes deputy


Kimberly Rubio

Assistant editor

Uvalde County Sheriff Charles Mendeke said his office is pursuing charges against a United States citizen who, while evading arrest with two immigrants, nearly struck a UCSO deputy at the side of the road.

The high-speed chase, the second to occur last week, took place Wednesday at 12:38 p.m. when deputies were dispatched to U.S. Highway 90 west for a vehicle pursuit en route to Uvalde County from Maverick County.

The Ford F-250 used in the pursuit was reported stolen out of Austin the previous day.

Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Felix Rubio and an unidentified Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper placed a spike strip on Farm-to-Market Road 1022.

“He went around the spikes, nearly striking Deputy Rubio, and bailed out into the brush just west of the Border Patrol checkpoint on U.S. Highway 90 West,” Mendeke said, noting a Border Patrol helicopter on scene assisted multiple state and federal agencies in the apprehension of three individuals, including the driver and two immigrants.

“Our deputies are out there every day and night. They are doing some very dangerous work trying to stop these vehicles before they make it into the city,” Mendeke said.“And the thing is, we don’t know who we are chasing or what their criminal history is.”

As high-speed chases involving human smuggling attempts have increased in recent months, Mendeke urges residents traveling the roadways to stay vigilant for emergency vehicles.

“These human traffickers are making several thousand dollars to get these individuals from Mexico to the United States illegally,” Mendeke said. “On top of that, Border Patrol agents are stuck in an office doing immigration paperwork for these family units seeking asylum and there are less agents on the field.”

See the Uvalde Leader-News Facebook Page for a U.S. Border Patrol aerial video that shows the driver veer into the area where Rubio was outside of his patrol unit.

Tuesday chase

Another U.S. citizen led law enforcement officials on a high-speed chase through two counties Tuesday before he and two immigrants were detained.

The chase began in Kinney County and entered Uvalde, coming into town twice before returning to Kinney County where the driver stopped.

krubio@ulnnow.com, 830-278-3335

Pete Luna|Leader-NewsThe driver of a stolen Ford F-250 who led law enforcement officials on a high-speed chase is detained by authorities after bailing out into the brush just west of the Border Patrol checkpoint on U.S. Highway 90 West. Two immigrants were also detained after the Wednesday incident.

Pete Luna|Leader-NewsThe driver of a stolen Ford F-250 who led law enforcement officials on a high-speed chase is detained by authorities after bailing out into the brush just west of the Border Patrol checkpoint on U.S. Highway 90 West. Two immigrants were also detained after the Wednesday incident.

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