Driver Flees Van During Chase; 18 Aboard Not Hurt

A driver transporting illegal immigrants from Mexico jumped out of a van while under pursuit by authorities on the Santa Ana Freeway, leaving 18 passengers inside as the vehicle rolled down the embankment.

None of the passengers in the van, which included three women, two girls and a 4-month-old baby, were injured, authorities said.

The chase began when military police from Camp Pendleton called the California Highway Patrol about 9:35 p.m. Thursday to say they were following a white van. The CHP took over the chase on Interstate 5 just north of Ortega Highway, CHP Officer Angel Johnson said. The van weaved through heavy traffic at up to 75 m.p.h. with its headlights flashing.

Near the Grand Avenue exit on the Santa Ana Freeway, the van slowed in the right lane and officers saw the driver hop out and run down the freeway shoulder. The vehicle rolled about 50 feet down the embankment.

“I think because they were crammed back into the van that probably helped them survive,” Johnson said.

Through interpreters, the passengers told officers they had paid the driver $400 for each adult and $100 for each child to enter the United States, Johnson said.