EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A vehicle pursuit took place around 8 a.m. Friday, March 31, and ended in a crash and shots being fired in the Lower Valley.
According to a statement sent out by the Texas Department of Public Safety, a trooper fired his service weapon to disable the fleeing vehicle, after the driver rammed the trooper’s vehicle.
The preliminary investigation shows at approximately 8 a.m., a DPS trooper attempted to stop a white Chevrolet SUV for a speeding violation near Interstate 10 and Executive Center in West El Paso.
The driver fled and evaded the trooper, according to a statement sent out by DPS.
The driver drove into a dead-end containing barriers near the roadway of Carolina in the Lower Valley.
The SUV stopped, then accelerated backwards into a DPS vehicle “causing significant damage,” according to the statement.
The driver then attempted to drive through the dead-end barrier and a DPS trooper discharged his service weapon toward the vehicle’s tires, disabling the vehicle.
The DPS trooper’s actions prevented the driver from fleeing and putting the public’s safety at risk, according to the statement.
The driver was taken into custody and six undocumented immigrants were turned over to Border Patrol, according to DPS. There were no injuries in this incident.
The investigation continues and no other information was released.
A woman, who shared a video of the incident with KTSM 9 News, says she was taking her kids to school when everything happened right in front of her.
“There were people like passing and they didn’t like respect that and they just started shooting,” said the woman.
A man who was at plasma center in a shopping center next to where the pursuit came to an end in the Lower Valley said he saw employees running when the shots were fired.
“I was hooked up to the machine. I was probably only there. like 15 minuets. and then some employees from the front of the building came to the back and of course. they looked scared and they were telling that there was a shooter outside,” said Ray Mendoza. who was at the plasma center in the Lower Valley.
A woman who lives in a nearby apartment complex she heard multiple shots around 8 a.m. and went to see what was happening.
“It was a tense moment, a moment of tension when everyone here was asleep, I was watching what was happening,” said Francisca Hernandez. who lives nearby.
According to the media and communications lieutenant for Texas DPS, there have been 24 DPS pursuits in the past week along the southern border up to El Paso.
