Homicide Suspect and Human Smugglers Arrested After High-Speed Pursuit in Hidalgo County

As part of Operation Lone Star, the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Brush Team arrested multiple individuals, including a homicide suspect, following a vehicle pursuit involving human smugglers in Hidalgo County on October 1, 2024.

Just after 5 p.m., a DPS trooper attempted to stop a black Chevrolet Tahoe on Levee Road and Military Road in Mission. The driver refused to comply, leading to a pursuit that ended on FM 494. Inside the vehicle, troopers discovered three illegal immigrants and one American citizen who had been smuggled into the U.S.

The driver, Nathan Iracheta, 17, of Pharr, was arrested for smuggling of persons and evading arrest. Among the passengers, Eliezer Morales, 30, of McAllen, who was being smuggled back into the U.S., was wanted for homicide by the McAllen Police Department. Another individual, Erik Gonzalez Torres, 19, of Mexico, was arrested for smuggling of persons after being identified as the guide who brought the group across the Rio Grande.

The two other immigrants, including a previously deported Honduran man with an aggravated felony conviction, were referred to Border Patrol. All arrested individuals were transported to the Hidalgo County Jail.