Border Patrol Chase Ends in OC Crash (NBC Los Angeles)

Border Patrol Chase Ends in OC Crash

Updated 8:45 AM PST, Thu, Mar 5, 2009

Two people face prosecution on suspicion of smuggling illegal immigrants after leading Border Patrol agents on a nearly 15-mile chase through Orange County that ended in a collision with other motorists in Laguna Hills.

Laguna Hills police Lt. Steve Doan says the Border Patrol agents began chasing the suspects' vehicle after it fled from the agency's checkpoint in San Clemente on Tuesday.

He says the chase ended in Laguna Hills, where the suspects got into an accident involving two other vehicles.

Border Patrol officials say the driver and passenger attempted to flee after the collision, but agents caught them. The suspects told authorities two people were in the trunk of the vehicle.

No major injuries were reported. The driver of the fleeing vehicle also faces prosecution for high-speed flight from an immigration checkpoint.