5 dead after SUV being chased by Border Patrol agents crashes

On Sunday, five people were killed in southern Texas when the SUV they were in crashed during a pursuit with Border Patrol agents and a sheriff's deputy, authorities said.

Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said there were 14 people in the SUV, which skidded off the road and flipped over several times. Most of the passengers were ejected from the vehicle, with four dying at the scene and one at the hospital. Several others were injured. The SUV was going at least 100 mph when it crashed.

The Border Patrol said an agent suspected a "smuggling event" was underway when the SUV was spotted driving down the road, flanked by two other vehicles. Agents stopped the two cars and arrested multiple people from both vehicles, but the SUV would not pull over for agents and later a sheriff's deputy who took over the chase right before the crash, The Associated Press reports. Boyd said the driver and one passenger, who both survived, are believed to be U.S. citizens, and the rest undocumented. "This, I think, is a perfect example of why our borders need to be secured," he said.

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