Posted on 06/03/2011 6:12:27 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
NEAR McCOOK — State troopers opened fire on a minivan during a chase that stretched more than 30 miles Thursday afternoon.
A Starr County sheriff's deputy attempted to stop a gray Honda minivan at 2:21 p.m. Thursday near Zarate Road and Highway 83 east of Rio Grande City, said Trooper Johnny Hernandez, a local Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman.
Troopers and deputies pursued the van north from Highway 83, eventually turning toward the east before the pursuit ended at the intersection of Farm-to-Market roads 2058 and 681, north of the Moore Air Base in rural Hidalgo County.
Only after sharpshooters in a DPS helicopter and two troopers on the ground opened fire and deployed spikes did the van finally come to a stop, Hernandez said. No injuries were reported.
Troopers arrested the driver, a 26-year-old man from Tampico, Tamps., whose name was not disclosed. Several bundles of what appeared to be marijuana could be seen in the back of the minivan.
"The only reason they shot is they felt in danger," Hernandez said.
SMUGGLER ARRESTED NEAR PENITAS
DPS also intercepted a drug smuggler attempting to move marijuana in a cloned courier vehicle near Peñitas.
A trooper attempted to stop what appeared to be a Lone Star Overnight van along Highway 83 west of Peñitas early Thursday morning, Hernandez said.
The driver, a 30-year-old Mexican national from Reynosa, refused to stop and led troopers toward the Rio Grande.
The man, whose name was not disclosed, bailed from the van and attempted to run from troopers, who managed to catch him after a brief foot chase, Hernandez said.
Troopers seized 1,381 pounds of marijuana from inside the van. The man will face state possession of marijuana charges, a second degree felony that carries up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted. The drugs had a street value of $448,825.
Smugglers pretending to be commercial delivery drivers is not a new tactic.
Mexican authorities seized 440 pounds of pot from what appeared to be a DHL truck near Ciudad Mier, Tamps., on May 21.
And in September 2009, officers in Weslaco arrested Jose Gerardo Morales, 24, who was caught with 100 pounds of marijuana while he was clad in a FedEx uniform. He was sentenced to deferred adjudication, a type of community supervision, and a $1,000 fine.
About time we showed some cajones. Shoot em all and let God sort it out.
Works for me.
THEY felt in danger?? How about all the innocent people along the way? Seriously, sharpshooters in a helicopter were needed? Spikes did the job just fine. Lemme guess, the sharpshooters were in their black ninja duds.
“And in September 2009, officers in Weslaco arrested Jose Gerardo Morales, 24, who was caught with 100 pounds of marijuana while he was clad in a FedEx uniform. He was sentenced to deferred adjudication, a type of community supervision, and a $1,000 fine.”
You can go for miles and never see another person, and that's on a busy day.
Yes, but it seems a bit over-kill.
Why?
Better to stop them out in the middle of nowhere than to try and stop them in a populated area.
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