Shootout Closes US Mexico Border Crossing Near San Diego
September 22, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
U.S. authorities have closed the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego, on the border with Mexico, after a shootout earlier today. San Ysidro is the nation’s busiest border crossing with roughly 40,000 vehicles cross there daily from Mexico.
Three vans loaded with suspected illegal immigrants tried to speed through the crossing Tuesday afternoon, drawing gunfire from at least two U.S. agents, authorities said.
“The port is closed and will remain closed for several hours,” U.S. Customs and Border Patrol spokeswoman Angelica Decima said after the incident at the congested San Ysidro crossing between the Mexican city of Tijuana and San Diego.
The suspected smugglers shot across busy lines of traffic at U.S. agents when they tried to stop three vans packed with about 70 illegal immigrants from crossing into the United States, the officials said.
The agents returned fire, and three people in the vans and a motorist were wounded, said Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Mexico’s violent drug gangs are increasingly moving into the lucrative people-smuggling business, but tight U.S. border security is forcing them to take bigger risks to get narcotics and illegal immigrants into the United States.
Tuesday’s brazen attempt was unprecedented at the heavily guarded crossing where helicopters circle overhead and armed agents with dogs keep watch at a series of staggered checkpoints.
All the illegal immigrants were arrested and taken into custody and the crossing, a major smuggling corridor for narcotics and illegal immigrants, was shut while police carried out the investigation.
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From Sign On San Diego – Union Tribune
A preliminary investigation indicated there was no return fire, said San Diego police homicide Lt. Kevin Rooney.
[...]
Rooney said the incident began about 3:30 p.m. when three full-sized vans, two with California plates and one with Mexico plates, were in line at the port to cross into the U.S.
The lead van was stopped and the driver was speaking to a U.S. agent at a booth when the agent stepped inside the booth and the driver sped off in an attempt to run the border, Rooney said. Drivers of the two vans that were next in line also tried to run the border.
The lead van became trapped in traffic and the driver tried to head to the west exit. The drivers of the other two vans put their vehicles in reverse and tried to head to the east exit.
Two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and one U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent then opened fire, Rooney said. He said he did not yet know how many shots were fired.
Rooney said that two people were shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries; one was injured in a crash.
Student In Jail After Bringing Bombs To School
June 6, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
An honor student and football star at San Ysidro High School was arrested Friday on three felony charges after allegedly bringing homemade bombs to school as a senior prank.
Elphbert Laforteza, 18, is in San Diego County jail for allegedly bringing a dozen acid-based devices to the school and placing them in trash cans. Six of the devices exploded, forcing school officials to order a lockdown and call police.
No one was injured, but the explosions were heard throughout the school. Laforteza is being held in lieu of $860,000 bail. Laforteza has been selected to attend the Air Force Academy.
