Baby Killed as Van Chased by Patrol Crashes

An infant boy was killed and 18 other people were injured early Tuesday when a van carrying as many as 28 suspected illegal aliens crashed while attempting to elude the U.S. Border Patrol on California 117 near the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said.

The incident was the second crash Tuesday involving a Border Patrol chase in San Diego County, and the latest in a series of crashes stemming from Border Patrol pursuit of suspected alien-smuggling vehicles.

Officials said the van was heading west on Highway 117 near the intersection of Interstate 805 when it attempted to make a U-turn at about 8:15 a.m., with two Border Patrol sedans in pursuit.

The van, traveling at about 40 m.p.h., rolled over before landing upright on the highway’s grassy center strip, authorities said.

Short-Lived Pursuit

The pursuit of the van along Highway 117 lasted only about five minutes, and it was not considered a high-speed chase under the circumstances, according to Wayne Kirkpatrick, a Border Patrol spokesman in San Diego.

In recent years, high-speed Border Patrol chases in Southern California have resulted in a number of fatalities. A crash in August, 1983, near Coachella killed 11 people who were fleeing from a Border Patrol vehicle. Last December, seven illegal aliens were seriously injured in a San Clemente crash following a high-speed chase that began when an auto went through the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 5.

Critics have charged that the incidents demonstrate the agency’s insensitivity toward illegal aliens.

“They (Border Patrol officials) are more interested in arrest quotas than in the safety of people,” said Roberto Martinez, an activist with the American Friends Service Committee who advises illegal aliens in San Diego. “There appears to be a total disregard for human life in these pursuits.”

Patrol Defends Agents

But Border Patrol officials defended their agents’ actions, asserting that they have no choice but to pursue suspected smuggling vehicles that refuse to stop.

At the accident scene Tuesday, dazed passengers crawled out of the damaged van and sprawled in the median area, many moaning in pain and grasping their wounds. Many suffered head injuries when the van overturned. Passers-by, including two U.S. Navy medical personnel who were the first on the scene, quickly provided stopgap aid until paramedics could arrive.

A helicopter and several ambulances rushed the 19 injured passengers--including the fatally injured infant--to five hospitals. The driver, whose identity was not immediately known, was among those hospitalized, officials said. He could face federal alien-smuggling charges as well as state charges stemming from his handling of the vehicle.

Nine people were treated for minor injuries at the scene and taken into custody by the Border Patrol. Of the other injured persons, 15 were later released to the custody of the Border Patrol.

Infant’s Mother Injured

Among those hospitalized was the dead infant’s mother, Francisca Serrano, 23, who was in fair condition with a broken left wrist and facial abrasions.

In a telephone interview, Serrano said the van left Tijuana at about 7 a.m. Upon arrival in the United States, Serrano said, she was supposed to have paid $300 for herself and $100 for her son in smuggling fees.

In the other incident Tuesday, officials said the Border Patrol arrested 12 people believed to be illegal aliens shortly before 4 a.m., following a high-speed chase along Interstate 5 and over the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge.