Details have emerged about the lock down that occurred at Tombstone High School on Thursday. The school was put on lock down when illegal aliens bailed from a vehicle driven by a human smuggler near the school.
A Tucson man transporting four illegal aliens in a Ford Fusion fled from Willcox Border Patrol agents Thursday morning who were attempting to conduct an immigration inspection on Highway 80 near Tombstone.
When agents tried to stop the vehicle at approximately 7 a.m., the vehicle sped away toward Tombstone High School but stopped after crashing through a gate in front of the school. Five men bailed out of the vehicle in an attempt to escape on foot.
Helicopter flight crews from Air and Marine Operations and Cochise County Air responded to assist agents on the ground and soon all five suspects were apprehended.
Tombstone High School was briefly placed on lock down as a precaution but the lock down was lifted by 8:30 a.m.
The driver, identified as a 35-year-old U.S. citizen, now faces felony smuggling charges. The vehicle’s other four occupants, identified as Mexican nationals, will be processed for immigration violations.
A similar incident occurred the evening prior near Sunizona when agents from Willcox Station’s Highway Interdiction Team attempted to stop a Chevy Malibu on Highway 191. A 22-year-old Douglas man driving the vehicle fled from agents during an immigration stop after two female Mexican nationals bailed from the vehicle.
Responding agents arrested the two women and later caught up with the Malibu on Highway 186, with the Douglas man and two other illegal aliens near the vehicle.
The Douglas man faces felony smuggling charges while the four Mexican nationals are being processed for immigration violations.