Suspected smuggler crashes car while fleeing from Border Patrol

A suspected smuggler was flown to a Palm Springs hospital with injuries after he crashed his truck trying to flee from U.S. Border Patrol agents.

Agents say the incident happened on Highway 78 about four miles west of State Route 2 Sunday at around 5 a.m.

Agents say they driver tried to flee from agents who tried to pull him over.

The driver suffered injuries to his head and torso. The two other passengers who were in the truck with him only suffered minor injuries and were taken to an Escondido hospital.

“The driver of this vehicle is an associate of one of the Indio Border Patrol Station’s top two alien smuggling organizations,” said Scott Garrett, the Patrol Agent in Charge of the Indio Station, “The driver chose to flee and wound up seriously injuring himself. Luckily, the two individuals he was smuggling were not seriously injured or he could be facing additional felony charges.”