SAN DIEGO (AP) — Three people are dead after the SUV in which they were fleeing from the U.S. Border Patrol tumbled off a San Diego freeway, authorities said.
Two agents on a routine patrol on Interstate 15 ran the license plate of a GMC Envoy on Thursday, and found the vehicle was connected to a murder and human smuggling suspect who was likely to be armed, Border Patrol Agent Tekae Michael said.
“This is a major corridor for drug tracking and human smuggling, the 15,” Michael said.
The agents tried to stop the SUV but it took off and they chased it at high speed.
After about 10 minutes, the SUV’s driver appeared to lose control and the vehicle smashed through a guardrail and chain-link fence before rolling down an embankment, the California Highway Patrol said. Two people died at the scene, and a third died at a hospital. A fourth occupant was seriously injured.
No names or other details about the victims have been released. It’s not clear whether the murder suspect was in the SUV at the time, and authorities would not elaborate on the suspect’s identity or offenses.
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