Two die in high-speed crash trying to flee US Border Patrol

Two people died and five others were injured Saturday in a crash following a high speed chase with Border Patrol officers in Southern Texas.

The fatal collision occurred around 3 a.m. in Rio Bravo, just across the Rio Grande from Mexico, after Border Patrol agents tried to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle carrying seven people.

Rio Bravo Fire Chief Juan Gonzalez told the Loredo Morning Times that the pursuit ended when the car collided with a fence then slammed into a light pole, cutting the vehicle in half.

“The car then ejected six people, which left four critically injured, one just being injured and two casualties,” Gonzalez said. 

Authorities have not released the identities of anyone in the vehicle.

Border Patrol said in a statement that the incident is under investigation by the Webb County Sheriff’s Office and is being reviewed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility, as well as Immigration and Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General was also notified , according to the statement.