A suspected human smuggler led Texas Department of Public Safety troopers on a wild chase that ended as the driver crashed into a tree. Video shows at least six migrants climbing out of the stolen pickup truck following the crash.
According to Texas DPS spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez, troopers arrested a Lockhart, Texas, resident and charged him with multiple felonies following a pursuit that culminated with the off-road crash. It appears the driver and all six migrants escaped without serious injury.
#NEW: A smuggler in a stolen truck evades from @TxDPS, drives through a ranch fence, crashing into a tree in Val Verde County.
5/10: The smuggler, Carlos Lombardich-Villalobos from Lockhart, Texas, recklessly drove through multiple intersections, attempting to evade Troopers.… pic.twitter.com/sNhDRiHkA4
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) May 11, 2024
The video shot by a DPS helicopter aircrew shows the driver driving wildly along a highway and blowing through multiple intersections. In one intersection, the driver narrowly missed an innocent person’s truck. In a second, the suspected smuggler’s truck goes airborne and is nearly struck by cross-traffic.
The driver eventually drives off the roadway and into the brush. As the truck bounces through the rugged terrain, the tailgate