Murder charges possible as SUV flees, wrecks; 5 killed

The driver of a vehicle crammed with 14 passengers believed to be undocumented immigrants could face murder charges after he crashed into a tree, killing five of them, while evading Falfurrias police, the police chief said Monday. The crash Saturday night took place a few miles north of the Border Patrol immigration checkpoint in Brooks County, which in recent years has emerged as a major passageway for human smuggling. Its ranchlands and dirt roads are the routes — and sometimes the places of death — of immigrants attempting to walk or get rides around the checkpoint with aid from bands of smugglers. The numbers of unidentified bodies and law enforcement pursuits have soared. A Falfurrias police patrol car attempted to stop the driver, who was speeding in a 2004 Chevrolet Blazer along U.S. 281. Initially heading north on the frontage road of U.S. 281, the driver looped south and lost control as he passed another vehicle, crashing into a tree. When the officer in pursuit arrived, he discovered 15 people inside, five of whom were pronounced dead at the scene. An unknown number of people were injured.