The State : Lawmen Kill Border Thugs

San Diego police and U.S. Border Patrol agents shot and killed two suspected bandits and wounded two others after they allegedly tried to rob the lawmen in a canyon, authorities said. Police Sgt. Nate Caplan said that the officers involved in the shooting were members of the Border Crimes Prevention Unit, a joint police-Border Patrol unit that patrols canyons infested with Mexican bandits who prey on illegal aliens slipping into the United States. “The suspects attempted to rob the team and were shot,” Caplan said. “The suspects were armed with knives and screwdrivers.” Two suspects were pronounced dead at the scene. The other two were airlifted to UC San Diego Medical Center in serious condition. Their identities were not released. Including the latest shootings, 18 suspected bandits have been killed by the crimes-prevention unit since the team was formed in 1984.