A Hollister man suffered injuries when a U.S. Border Patrol
agent drove a vehicle over him and another man after a surveillance
camera had observed two suspects illegally cross the border in a
desert area, according to a California Highway Patrol
statement.
A Hollister man suffered injuries when a U.S. Border Patrol agent drove a vehicle over him and another man after a surveillance camera had observed two suspects illegally cross the border in a desert area, according to a California Highway Patrol statement.
Jaime Rodriguez, 41, was the Hollister resident injured in the incident in El Centro near the Mexican border, according to the CHP, which is investigating the accident. The other man, Jorge R. Arrojo, also sustained “moderate to serious” injuries after the two were struck while hiding in brush. Arrojo’s residence is listed as unknown, according to the CHP.
It happened around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when a border patrol surveillance camera observed two suspects illegally crossing the border, in the area of Barbara Worth and Carr roads. A border patrol agent was dispatched to the area and, while looking for the suspects, drove a Chevy Tahoe through heavy brush at 5 mph to 10 mph toward an open clearing, according to the CHP.
The agent stopped and got out of the truck to look for footprints, and heard moaning noises coming from behind the sport utility vehicle. The agent located “two illegal border crossers who had been hiding in the brush” and had been run over, according to the CHP, which was notified after the request for medical aid.
Both were airlifted to Desert Regional Medical Center. They complained of pain to their entire bodies, and Arrojo lost consciousness. The border patrol agent was uninjured.
