On June 23, 2021, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent (BPA) driving a marked Border Patrol vehicle spotted people jumping into the bed of a white pickup truck, approximately 300 yards from the Rio Grande in Laredo, TX. The pickup immediately left the area at a high rate of speed, causing several people to fall from the vehicle. The BPA radioed to additional BPAs in the area as he attempted to catch up with the white pickup truck. The BPA lost sight of the vehicle and radioed to other agents notifying them that he could not locate the vehicle.
The pickup collided into a SUV at the intersection of Main Avenue and Jefferson Street, approximately 16 blocks northwest of the BPA’s location. Border Patrol EMTs, Laredo Fire Department Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and Laredo Police Department (LPD) responded to the scene of the collision. No Border Patrol units were pursuing the white pickup truck at the time of the crash. The first Border Patrol unit arrived on the scene within a minute and came from the opposite direction without its lights and sirens activated.
Two unidentified occupants of the pickup truck were declared deceased on scene and eight occupants of the pickup were severely injured. On June 25, 2021, a third unidentified occupant of the pickup passed away at the University Hospital in San Antonio, TX.
This incident is being reviewed by the Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office and CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility and is being investigated by the Laredo Police Department.