Border Patrol Pursuit in East County Ends in Rollover Crash, At Least a Dozen Injured – NBC 7 San Diego

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Thirteen passengers in a pickup truck that was being chased by agents from the U.S. Border Protection Agency were involved in a rollover accident on Interstate 8 in East San Diego County Tuesday night.

Border guards chased a black Chevrolet Silverado in tagged vehicles after the driver refused to stop, according to the California Highway Patrol. After a high-speed chase, the truck driver appeared to have left the freeway on Buckman Springs Road and then abruptly returned to the main lanes.

At around 6:15 p.m., the truck driver lost control of the vehicle and drove over I-8, then onto a dirt median where the Chevrolet rolled over to a stop, CHP said.

Twelve passengers who were suspected to be in the back of the truck were thrown from the vehicle. They all suffered moderate to severe injuries and were admitted to several San Diego County hospitals.

One of the passengers was removed from the crime scene by helicopter. The rest were taken to surrounding hospitals by ambulance, according to Cal Fire spokesman Frank Lococo.

Authorities believe that the driver of the truck was the only occupant in the vehicle. This person was taken into custody by the US Border Patrol.

Lococo noted that the truck usually has enough seat belts for five passengers. Alcohol or drugs don’t seem to play a role in the crash.

The names of the truck driver and the occupants of the vehicle were not disclosed.

According to Caltrans, the lanes to the west at the crash site were closed for around 90 minutes. Then shortly before 11 p.m. the CHP closed the motorway to the west again for further investigations. Traffic was diverted to Kitchen Creek Road.

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