KINNEY COUNTY, Texas – Two teens were arrested on human smuggling charges after leading a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper on a pursuit that ended with the trooper shooting at the vehicle in Kinney County, the agency said.
Franklin Munoz Perez, 18, and a 16-year-old passenger — both from Houston — were each charged with two counts of smuggling of persons, DPS said. Perez was also charged with evading arrest with a vehicle.
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Both teens are originally from Honduras, according to DPS.
The pursuit began just before 12:30 p.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 90 west of Brackettville when a trooper attempted to stop a red 2009 Lexus IS 250 traveling eastbound. The driver refused to stop, DPS said.
In an attempt to stop the vehicle, DPS said the trooper used the patrol unit to strike the suspect vehicle but was unsuccessful.
A Kinney County sheriff’s deputy deployed spike strips that punctured the vehicle’s tires, but Perez continued to evade, DPS said.
The suspect vehicle drove toward the patrol unit and continued to evade. The trooper fired two shots at the vehicle’s tires, DPS said. The pursuit disabled the trooper’s patrol unit.
Border Patrol stopped the suspect vehicle. Two people in the country without legal permission who fled on foot were detained and referred to Border Patrol, DPS said.
Perez was booked into the Val Verde County Jail, according to the agency, while the 16-year-old was booked to the Val Verde Juvenile Detention Center.
The Texas Highway Patrol is investigating the case. No injuries were reported.
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