Crash that killed 8 illegal immigrants followed 50-mile chase at 100 MPH

Federal agents brought charges Wednesday against a man they say was responsible for the deaths of eight illegal immigrants in Texas he was trying to smuggle deeper into the U.S.

Sebastian Tovar was driving a Dodge Ram pickup Monday as part of a two-car smuggling convoy when state troopers tried to pull him over for a traffic violation, an ICE agent said in court documents. Mr. Tovar fled, igniting a high-speed chase.

“The Dodge Ram fled at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour for approximately 50 miles,” said Israel Borup, the Homeland Security Investigations special agent.

The truck ultimately veered into oncoming traffic and smashed into a Ford F-150 pickup.

Eight illegal immigrants in the Dodge Ram were killed in the crash.

Mr. Tovar, though injured by the airbag deployment, tried to flee on foot, but was tracked down. Agent Borup said he made “spontaneous utterances” of guilt in the smuggling scheme.

Border Patrol agents later came across another Ford F-150 pickup which they linked to the Dodge Ram, saying they were part of the same group that came across the border near Eagle Pass. Once in the U.S., they were split into the two separate vehicles, migrants in the F-150 told agents.

The eight deaths are part of a mounting toll of carnage amid the ongoing border surge.

Last month an SUV loaded with more than two dozen illegal immigrants ran a stop sign and was T-boned by a truck, killing 13 people in the SUV.

Prosecutors on Wednesday asked for the public to come forward with tips to identify the smugglers involved.

The SUV was part of a two-vehicle convoy that drove through a hole that had been cut in the border fence.

Prosecutors said one 23-year-old migrant woman died in her mother’s arms.

“This tragic case is a grim reminder that putting your faith and future in the hands of smugglers is a very dangerous gamble,” said Randy Grossman, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California. “Smugglers are motivated by greed and care nothing for the people they put in harm’s way.”