San Ysidro
A U.S. Border Patrol chase of a suspected smuggler of illegal aliens ended in a crash Wednesday evening that injured eight people.
Jesus Garcia Vargas, 17, was arrested on smuggling charges, Border Patrol spokesman Ted Swofford said.
Swofford said that three pickup trucks drove across the border through a hole in a fence about half a mile west of the port of entry. Two of the trucks returned to Mexico, but the 1974 pickup going about 55 m.p.h. led Border Patrol officers on a chase from Otay Mesa Road to Airway Road.
Swofford said that Vargas was at a stoplight on Airway Road about 7:40 p.m., attempting to make an illegal left turn, when he broadsided a Ford Mustang. Vargas was arrested shortly after he and two of the people fled on foot.
Five of the 17 people in the pickup and three people from the car suffered minor injuries.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
