ELLIS COUNTY, Texas – Two El Paso residents face felony charges after a highway pursuit involving undocumented migrants ended in a carjacking at a local gas station, state authorities said.
Read more $7.5 million lottery ticket sold in Houston
High-speed chase on I-10 in El Paso
Timeline:
The incident began around 9:15 a.m. on Aug. 27 along westbound Interstate 10, when Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and state investigators joined U.S. Border Patrol agents in pursuing a gray Cadillac CTS, according to DPS Sgt. Eliot Torres.
After a trooper deployed tire deflation spikes, the vehicle stopped near mile marker 49. The driver, Tissiana Anahi Gonzalez, 21, and three undocumented migrants ran from the car before being arrested by responding officers, authorities said.
A passenger in the Cadillac, 18-year-old Ryan Emmons, ran to a nearby gas station off Fabens Road, where he used a pellet gun to rob a customer and steal a blue Chevrolet Malibu, DPS said.
PIT maneuver ends second chase
Troopers chased the stolen vehicle and executed a PIT maneuver to bring it to a stop. Emmons was taken into custody with assistance from state troopers, Border Patrol agents, and El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies.
Read more Flames seen after Amazon plane overshoots runway at Miami airport
Charges filed
What we know:
Gonzalez was charged with smuggling of persons and evading arrest. She and Emmons were booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility.
Emmons faces charges including aggravated robbery, smuggling of persons, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest with a vehicle, evading arrest on foot, and possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana.
The three migrants were taken into federal custody by Border Patrol agents. DPS said the investigation remains ongoing.
Read more Man exits moving vehicle on Gulf Freeway before being hit, killed by another vehicle