6 Fleeing Border Patrol Fall Into Ravine; 1 Killed

Six suspected illegal immigrants trying to escape Border Patrol agents plunged 120 feet into a ravine near San Diego on Saturday night, leaving one dead, U.S. Border Patrol officials said Sunday.

The men, who were not identified, apparently had been trying to enter the country along a treacherous ravine.

Border Patrol agents confronted 15 immigrants during a patrol in a rural section of southern San Diego County. The group was ordered to sit down. Of the 15, “nine sat down and the others ran,” said Border Patrol Agent Marco Ramirez. “Unfortunately, they ran the wrong way.”

The immigrants ran only eight to 10 feet before falling.

Border Patrol Agent Jim Pilkington said it was surprising that only one of the immigrants was killed in the fall. “It really is amazing when you figure that [drop] is 12 stories,” he said.

The immigrants were hiking along a rocky ravine that collects runoff from Otay Dam, officials said. Although steep and treacherous, Pilkington said, the site runs along a long-established trail for illegal immigrants attempting to enter the United States. “It is a very dangerous area . . . there are some drop-offs, some ravines and a deep canyon,” he said.

Because of the Border Patrol buildup known as Operation Gatekeeper, more illegal immigrants are trying to enter the country through the rocky and mountainous section of eastern San Diego County rather than the less perilous and previously more heavily traveled routes near the San Ysidro port of entry.

The accident happened near where a Border Patrol agent fell to his death last year, Pilkington said.

Four of the men were taken to area hospitals by helicopter or ambulance, Pilkington said. Late Sunday, one remained hospitalized in critical condition and one in serious condition. The others were being detained by the Border Patrol.

The men were found about 9:40 p.m. after Border Patrol agents heard “yelling and screaming” from the bottom of the ravine and hiked down. They administered first aid until helicopters lighted the area and lifted out the injured. Four remained hospitalized late Sunday.

The man who died is believed to have been killed instantly, Pilkington said. The others will be questioned and, if they are in the country illegally, will be returned to their own countries, officials said.

Border Patrol Agent Luis Santiago died in a similar fall in March while trailing a group of suspected illegal immigrants, Pilkington said.

Alan Bersin, United States attorney for San Diego and Imperial counties, blamed Saturday’s tragedy on smugglers, known as coyotes, who guide illegal immigrants along dangerous routes and often charge outrageous sums.

“Let us not forget that those responsible here are the smugglers,” he told a news conference. “They [the immigrants] were led into east county and up a mountain trail by people trying to make money off the misery of their poverty.”

Federal authorities have recently promised renewed efforts to catch and prosecute smugglers who guide illegal immigrants across the border. It is unknown whether any of the group of 15 were the smugglers, officials said.

Times staff writers Greg Krikorian in Los Angeles and Tony Perry in San Diego contributed to this story.