Day of police chases ends with death

RELATED STORIES:

- Two officers injured in pursuit

- Police chase ends with capture of suspect in violent kidnapping

MISSION — A minivan smashed into a deputy constable’s cruiser Wednesday afternoon in what proved to be the deadly culmination of a daylong rash of police chases around the region.

Officers from multiple agencies were pursuing a suspected drug smuggler through western Hidalgo County on Expressway 83, when the blue Chevrolet Astro he was driving struck the cruiser just after 4 p.m. near the intersection with Inspiration Road.

Investigators later determined that there were no drugs but that the minivan was carrying 19 illegal immigrants, including both adults and children, many of whom suffered life threatening injuries.

“We’ll be lucky if only one person dies,” Mission police Chief Leo Longoria said.

Rescue workers rushed the constable, the immigrants and the minivan’s driver to local hospitals. The constable suffered minor injuries and was treated and released. Authorities did not disclose his name.

Police said late Wednesday that one unidentified immigrant had died. Authorities plan to charge the van’s driver with human smuggling.

The pursuit began when officers, acting on a tip, attempted to pull over the driver of the minivan on suspicion of drug possession. The driver sped away and police gave chase. Several agencies joined in the pursuit.

About 30 minutes into the high-speed chase, the minivan driver swerved to avoid hitting another vehicle and then overcorrected his steering as he tried to maintain control of the Astro. As he did so, the minivan collided into the rear right side of the deputy constable's cruiser that had pulled ahead of it during the pursuit. The impact sent the Astro into a roll and shattered all of its windows.

Five police chases in one day

As the sun set, the eastbound lanes of Expressway 83 remained closed between La Homa to Inspiration roads. Traffic stretched back for miles as motorists were detoured around the crash site.

The day was noteworthy not only for the crash and loss of life but for the sheer number of police pursuits in the area — at least five of them.

None of the pursuits appeared to be related, but their impact was felt throughout the area.

Two McAllen police officers and the deputy constable landed in local hospitals, and officials locked down three different elementary schools, confining children to classrooms to avoid danger. Authorities also jailed a man on three felony charges.

And that was all before the fatal mini van crash even happened.

In the morning, suspected auto thieves led McAllen police officers on a chase. Police eventually arrested them but not before two officers suffered minor injuries.

Later in the day, two routine traffic stops turned into chases for Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies, leading to the seizure of 250 pounds of marijuana in Peñitas and 450 pounds of cocaine in Edinburg, Sheriff Lupe Treviño said. In both of the cases, deputies tried to make traffic stops, but the suspects in the vehicles bailed and fled on foot.

Deputies searched the areas as nearby elementary schools locked down their campuses. Both suspects managed to escape, but there were no injuries in connection with those pursuits.

A long day

The fatal minivan crash marked the second chase for Mission police in one afternoon. Earlier in the day, officers had arrested Arturo Vargas on charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping and possession of marijuana.

Police saw him come out of a home in Mission and leave in a blue pickup truck. Investigators had searched for him for nearly a week, after evidence indicated his involvement in an Oct. 17 kidnapping.

Officers tried to pull him over, but he fled.

Police gave chase and Vargas eventually bailed out of the truck at a home near the intersection of West Seventh Street and Moorefield Road. From there he fled on foot into an overgrown field — and officials again locked down a nearby elementary school.

Mission police eventually nabbed Vargas with the help of a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter and U.S. Marshals.

Police officials had little chance to revel in the manhunt's end, though. The fatal minivan crash occurred less than two hours later.

────

Monitor staff writer Jeremy Roebuck contributed to this report.

____

Zack Quaintance covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.