U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION Press Release October 8, 2004 U.S. Border Patrol Agents Assaulted with Vehicle Tucson, AZ - On October 6, 2004, an illegal alien from Mexico, led Border Patrol Agents on a pursuit, which spanned over an hour, and contained numerous assaults on the agents. On Wednesday, at 8:30 a.m, Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Tucson Station attempted to perform a vehicle stop on a white Ford F250 near milepost 34 on State Route 286. The F250 failed to yield to the Border Patrol Vehicle's lights and sirens, and instead continued to drive south on SR 286. Additional agents in the area deployed a Controlled Tire Deflation Device (CTDD) near milepost 20. The F250 averted the CTDD and continued south exiting onto Santa Rita Ranch Road westbound. A Border Patrol A-Star helicopter and a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Blackhawk helicopter were deployed to the area to assist the agents on the ground. The helicopters kept a visual of the F250 as it traveled west on Santa Margarita Ranch Road, and then as it drove off road and cross-country through the desert. The CBP Blackhawk landed, and the "JUMP Team " deployed a CTTD. The driver of the Ford drove around the CTDD and tried to ram the Blackhawk, but was unsuccessful because the Blackhawk lifted off before the F250 could make contact. Agents continued to follow the F250 through various roads for about an hour, leading them to and from SR 286. At 9:30 a.m., the Ford F250 crashed through a fence line on SR 286 in an attempt to run over two Border Patrol Agents, who were on foot in the area. The F250 missed the agents and continued east on Arivaca Road. The driver then drove cross-country again before getting back on a road near the Buenos Aires Refuge headquarters. The driver then attempted to run over another Border Patrol Agent, who had climbed a small hill at this location in an attempt to gain a better view of the F250. The agent fired two rounds from his service weapon at the F250 as it tried to run him over, hitting the vehicle on the passenger side. The F250 did not stop, and continued off road where it narrowly missed crashing into a dirt berm near a cattle stock tank. The driver hit the brakes and skid to a stop, almost tipping the F250 over. The driver then attempted to flee the scene on foot, but was arrested by the "JUMP Team" in the CBP Blackhawk moments later. The driver, Miguel Figueroa-Rodriguez, a 21-year-old illegal alien and Mexican national, is currently in Federal Custody charged with "Knowingly using a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon to Forcibly Assault multiple Federal Agents while they were engaged in Official Duties." No Border Patrol Agents were injured in this incident, nor was the suspect. For the Fiscal Year 2004, Tucson Sector has recorded over 100 assaults on agents. The Border Patrol is a division of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, a new agency within the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for managing and securing our nation's borders. ~CBP~ *This document was converted from a word document to HTML.
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