SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County deputies have a concerned citizen to thank for tipping them off to what turned into a human smuggling operation in southwest Bexar County.
Sheriff Javier Salazar said a passerby notified a motorcycle deputy conducting an unrelated traffic stop when the tipster noticed what looked like people being forced into a nearby white van.
The deputy tried to conduct a traffic stop on the van when it sped off.
A brief pursuit took place but ended on Pearsall Road, where the driver sped into a driveway, jumped out the vehicle and ran off, Salazar said.
The property where the van ended up had nothing to do with the human smuggling operation, Salazar said.
A group of seven men and one woman were found locked inside the van. The undocumented immigrants ranged in age from 19 to 27 and appeared to have no visible injuries.
The immigrants told deputies they had been forced face down into the van by human smugglers. They were taken into federal custody for further investigation.
A drone search of the area took place but the suspect who fled on foot has yet to be found.