Guatemalan National Dies in Single-Vehicle Rollover Accident After High-Speed Pursuit by Border Patrol

On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at approximately 12:03 a.m., U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) El Paso Sector dispatch issued a broadcast alerting agents to a sighting of six or seven possible migrants on foot near the SR-185 USBP checkpoint. A Border Patrol agent from the Las Cruces Station, assigned to the SR-185 USBP checkpoint, responded to the alert using a Mobile Video Surveillance System (MVSS) truck. Two other Border Patrol units, including a marked vehicle and an unmarked K9 unit, also responded.

As the agent in the marked vehicle traveled south on Levee Road from the intersection with Kit Carson Road, the K9 handler in the unmarked vehicle remained stationary at the intersection. The agent in the marked vehicle observed a tan sedan with a broken headlight speeding northbound. Inside the sedan, the agent saw a male driver, a female passenger, and multiple individuals crowded in the back seat. The agent reversed direction and followed the sedan north on Levee Road.

At approximately 12:48 a.m., the Border Patrol agent reported over the radio that the sedan had multiple occupants suspected of being undocumented non-citizens. The driver initially turned right onto Kit Carson Road but then continued north on Levee Road. The K9 handler, who was at the intersection, followed the sedan and activated the vehicle’s emergency lights to initiate a stop. The sedan briefly stopped for 1–3 seconds before speeding away again. Both Border Patrol agents, concerned about the wet road conditions, deactivated their emergency equipment and continued pursuing the sedan.

The agents briefly lost sight of the sedan for about 15-20 seconds. Approximately 1 minute and 33 seconds later, 1.2 miles from the attempted stop, the agent operating the marked vehicle observed the sedan off the road in a rollover accident. One individual was seen running across Levee Road. The agent broadcasted a possible accident and absconders, and requested assistance from emergency medical services (EMS).

Upon approaching the crash site, the agent found one conscious U.S. citizen woman on the ground a few feet from the sedan. An unidentified woman with visible injuries was discovered in the back seat of the sedan. The MVSS agent arrived and helped the U.S. citizen woman to a Border Patrol vehicle and then provided aid to the injured woman, who responded by nodding. The agents chose not to remove her from the vehicle to prevent additional injury and began searching the area for other occupants.

At approximately 1:06 a.m., the woman in the sedan became unresponsive. The agent checked her vital signs but could not detect a pulse. He extracted her from the vehicle, placed her on the ground, and began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). At 1:11 a.m., the agent reported over the radio that the woman remained unresponsive. He placed her in the recovery position, checked the U.S. citizen woman’s condition, and then returned to the unresponsive woman, re-initiating CPR. The woman began foaming at the mouth, prompting the agent to return her to the recovery position.

American Medical Response (EMS) arrived on scene at approximately 1:20 a.m., attached an electrocardiogram (EKG) monitor, and confirmed no heartbeat. At approximately 1:23 a.m., EMS personnel disconnected the EKG, indicating no further life-saving measures could be performed.

Border Patrol agents subsequently identified six additional individuals at the scene, including the male driver, who was a U.S. citizen, and five undocumented Guatemalan nationals. Four of the undocumented individuals were transported to the Las Cruces Border Patrol Station for processing, while one undocumented non-citizen and the injured U.S. citizen were transported to Mountain View Regional Medical Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

At approximately 5:40 a.m., personnel from New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator arrived. They pronounced the woman deceased at approximately 6:13 a.m. and confirmed her identity as a Guatemalan national.

The Doña Ana Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the incident, with the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility conducting a review. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General has been notified.