Traffic Stop Leads To 2 Arrests (KPHO-Phoenix, AZ)

Traffic Stop Leads To 2 Arrests

UPDATED: 3:19 pm MST February 24, 2009

PHOENIX -- Two men were arrested on charges of human smuggling Monday after a traffic stop off Interstate 10 near Elliot Road in Tempe, police said.

An Arizona Department of Public Safety officer tried to stop a white Ford cargo van traveling westbound on Interstate 10. The van exited the freeway and did not stop for the officer, said DPS.

The van then turned south onto Autoplex Loop and stopped. The driver, Eracleo Martinez-Guzman, 33, and passenger, Clemento Reteria-Lemus, 19, both of Mexico, fled on foot, according to DPS.

DPS officers said the van was left in gear and backed into the patrol car, causing about $500 in damage. Both men were caught by the officer.

Another 19 men were found in van and all were identified as illegal immigrants, according to DPS.

DPS was assisted by Tempe police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Both men were booked into the Maricopa County Jail and the 19 illegal immigrants were turned over to ICE, said DPS officers.