Two teens with a truckload of migrants were arrested for human smuggling following a chase in Atascosa County on Monday morning, according to the sheriff.
Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward said the driver of a stolen black Ford F 250 pickup truck was leading LaSalle County deputies and Border Patrol agents on a pursuit on Texas Highway 97 at around 7 a.m.
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Deputies with Atascosa County joined the chase as it went through County Roads 321, 325 and 323 and then back to FM 1332, near Jourdanton.
At some point, 15 suspected migrants bailed from the truck and were apprehended by Border Patrol agents.
The truck continued on Texas 97 toward Pleasanton and ended up crashing through private property and fences, Soward said.
The truck kept going and was seen again on County Road 423, south of Pleasanton. At that point, a woman who was dropped off was taken into custody.
Soward said the driver kept going, heading north on Highway 281 before heading east on Texas 97.
The driver went through private property and fences but the truck was ultimately stopped in a pasture by officers with the Texas Highway Patrol, Soward said.
The driver, 16, was apprehended in the pasture while a passenger, 17, ran into an oil field business yard, Soward said.
He was eventually taken into custody.
Soward said the driver was taken to the Atascosa County Juvenile Detention Center and the passenger was taken to the Atascosa County Jail.
They are facing charges of human smuggling and evading arrest, Soward said.
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