Two human smugglers did not find a pot of gold as they might have anticipated on St. Patrick’s Day. In fact, they ran out of luck thanks to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday, March 17, 2024, at approximately 7:00 a.m., deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a black 2022 Chevy Camaro on Davis Road at milepost 1. The vehicle was seen traveling at least 30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.
The vehicle initially stopped on the side of the road but as the deputy’s approached, the driver fled on David Road onto Highway 80 westbound towards Tombstone.
As the vehicle ran the stop sign at Davis Road and Highway 80, it collided with a passenger van traveling westbound as well. The passengers in the van were reportedly unharmed.
The vehicle came to rest on Highway 80 and four people bailed from inside. A total of three undocumented migrants were apprehended on scene.
The driver of the vehicle, US citizen 21-year-old Luis Gerardo Flores, and the passenger, a US citizen 21-year-old Alberto Javier Esparz, both of San Luis, Arizona, were taken into custody on felony charges of Human Smuggling and multiple charges of Aggravated Assault, Endangerment, and Criminal Damage.
The 2022 Chevy Camaro is registered to Luis Flores with an address in Chesapeake Virginia.
US Border Patrol took custody of the migrants and the Arizona Department of Public Safety is conducting the traffic accident investigation.