DPS chase in Texas ends tragically; innocent woman killed

EL PASO, Texas – An innocent bystander is dead after a Texas DPS chase ended in a multi-vehicle crash in the Upper Valley Friday morning.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, an innocent woman is dead after a vehicle suspected of human smuggling and being pursued by Texas Highway Patrol Troopers crashed into her car at the intersection of Artcraft and Upper Valley Road.

Texas DPS officials said Highway Patrol Troopers assisted DPS special agents as they pursued a red Dodge Charger that fled from officers after a traffic stop.

According to DPS, the Dodge Charger broke down at a red light and crashed into a white Jeep and a white pickup truck before colliding with a blue Toyota Corolla.

As a result of the crash, the 17-year-old driver of the Charger and five migrants he was suspected of smuggling were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries, as was the woman driving the Toyota Corolla, who was reportedly in serious condition.

However, Texas DPS later reported that the woman died of her injuries at University Medical Center.

The 17-year-old driver, who Texas DPS said was a young man from Horizon City, is charged with murder, human smuggling and evading arrest.

The accident also caused traffic delays, so that all east and westbound lanes on Atcraft were closed well into the afternoon.

KFOX14/CBS4 has reached out to El Paso officials for comment on the tragedy, as this is the first time an innocent bystander has been killed since Texas DPS engaged suspected smugglers in high-speed chases as part of Operation Lone Star.

Congresswoman Veronica Escobar of El Paso issued a written statement saying she was “heartbroken,” adding that she had “sounded the alarm that high-speed vehicle chases in urban areas are putting innocent people in grave danger.”

Additionally, Escobar pointed out that incidents like this are the reason many law enforcement agencies – including the El Paso County Sheriff's Office – have stopped pursuing high-speed vehicles.

Escobar's written statement verbatim:

My heart breaks to learn that an El Paso woman lost her life in a high-speed chase between DPS and an El Paso woman suspected of human smuggling.

Too many young people have been lured into human trafficking by cartels and the seemingly easy money that trafficking brings them. This not only ruins their lives, but also endangers the lives and safety of everyone in El Paso. Today a family in our community suffered a tragic loss due to a young man's terrible decision.

I have sounded the alarm that high-speed vehicle chases in urban areas are putting innocent people in grave danger. For this reason, many law enforcement agencies prohibit their officers from participating in these dangerous activities (the El Paso County Sheriff's Office is one locally). And that's why I called on the Department of Homeland Security to modernize its high-speed tracking policies as well – and was grateful for it.

Those law enforcement agencies that have changed their policies to prosecute high speeds in urban areas have recognized that there are other ways to both combat crime and keep citizens safe on the road.

DPS has engaged ruthlessly in our community and my office has filed complaints from El Paso residents who have been wrongfully prosecuted, wrongfully arrested, and who have suffered significant property damage without DPS remediation. We have forwarded these complaints to the Department of Justice and asked for an investigation.

TXDPS policies need to change – urgently.

My thoughts are with the family of the victim whose life was unnecessarily cut short today.

It shouldn't take the death of an innocent bystander to spur action to save lives.

KFOX14/CBS4 spoke with people on the street who said chases and accidents have become commonplace.

“I see accidents like this every day when I drive to work… I live right down the street, there's always DPS on the curves 24/7, so it's distracting for the drivers,” said Ricardo from El Paso Gonzalez added: “I wish there was a different approach to stopping immigration.”

Another El Paso resident said she was afraid of seeing her family members in the middle of a dangerous DPS chase.

“It can happen to anyone, like anyone. So of course no one wants something like this to happen to them or their families,” said Yukare Coronado.

Ultimately, Gonzalez feels that while law enforcement is fighting human smuggling, they are forgetting the impact these tactics have on the people of El Paso.

“The safety of the El Paso community is also at risk and I think we spend so much time and money fighting immigration, but what about the community? We forget about it,” Gonzalez said.

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