Two Mexican nationals charged in killing of U.S. Coast Guardsman

Los Angeles Times ^ | December 3, 2012 | 3:22 pm

[Olog-hai]

Federal prosecutors charged two Mexican nationals in connection with killing U.S. Coast Guardsmen Terrell Horne III after they allegedly rammed his vessel with a drug-smuggling panga boat.

The two men, boat captain Jose Mejia-Leyva and Manuel Beltra-Higuera, are expected to appear in court Monday afternoon to face charges that they killed a federal officer.

Horne, 34, of Redondo Beach, was killed Sunday after suspected smugglers in a panga rammed his vessel off the Ventura County coast. He died of severe head trauma, officials said. …

[ptsal]

These two should not have made it to shore without being in a body bag...

[Undecided 2012]

Come on, this is America. This will be bargained down to a simple boating accident.

[wastedyears]

Or a full pardon by Obama.

[elkfersupper]

These two should not have made it to shore without being in a body bag...

You are correct, sir.

[IslamE]

Odumba will just give them citizenship, silly Americans, illegals are above the law, only American citizens have to follow the law, oh, minorities don’t have to follow the law either, they are above it too, it’s their civil right to break the law!

[Venturer]

A $50 dollar fine and two weeks community service at Planned Parenthood.

[jazusamo]

Bump!

[forgotten man]

The distance from the Mexican border to Ventura County by sea is about 250 to 300 miles. Most pangas are about 25 feet long and have an outboard motor. I wonder if the Mexican drug gangs have mother ships out there that refuel or launch the pangas. There are lots reports in the Southern California news media about pangas coming ashore in San Diego County.

[BenLurkin]

I just wonder if it was really just drugs this time. I don’t recall the Mexicans ever attacking the Coast Guard before.

[reg45]

They should be fish food.

[Flag_This]

But they’ll still qualify for in-State tuition, right?

[USNBandit]

What I am hearing from federal sources down that way is that this was a 40+ footer and that some of these pangas have up to 4 outboards. This boat was headed to Santa Barbara to offload to another vessel. The 87 foot CG boat stopped that vessel and deployed a small RIB (16ft) to chase the panga. The panga turned and headed straight at the RIB knocking two of the crew overboard. The BMC sustained massive head injuries and succumbed to his wounds.

I know the administration won' t do anything about it, but the Customs laws of this country allow the use of force for any vessel that fails to heave to in the Customs Waters. It is time to meet all these high speed pangas with disabling fire.