U.S. Border Agent Kills Driver of Truck Filled With Illegal Aliens

A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed the driver of a truck that was filled with illegal aliens after the driver attempted to run over the officer with his vehicle, authorities said Tuesday.

In the 5:15 p.m. Monday incident, the agent fired a single round that pierced the truck’s windshield and struck the driver in the head, according to official accounts. The shooting occurred in an isolated area in eastern San Diego County, a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.

The victim, between 25 and 35 years of age, was pronounced dead Tuesday morning at Sharp Memorial Hospital. His identity was not immediately known.

None of the 55 people in the back of the truck were injured.

The Border Patrol agent, Patrick Maloney, 38, was slightly injured when bumped by the truck, but he required no hospitalization, officials said.

The FBI and the San Diego County sheriff’s office are investigating the incident to determine whether the shooting was justified. But Border Patrol officials said a preliminary inquiry indicated that the agent acted appropriately.

Authorities provided the following account of the incident:

Agents at the Border Patrol’s station in Campo received information that a suspected smuggling vehicle had entered the United States illegally. Three agents in two Border Patrol vans, alerted earlier to the presence of a suspected smuggling operation, spotted the vehicle--a white Ford truck--in the westbound lane of state Highway 94.

The two Border Patrol vehicles, with sirens sounding and warning lights flashing, followed the truck for about three miles along winding Highway 94 until the truck, driving erratically, pulled over. The chase had proceeded at speeds under 50 miles an hour.

As agents approached the truck on foot, the driver made a U-turn and headed directly at one of the agents, Maloney. He then shot the driver. The truck veered off the road, bumped the agent and came to a halt.