Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald: Authorities detained 16 UDAs after police chased them at two-hour intervals on April 6.

John Johnson

john johnson news@gmail.com

Graham County – Authorities arrested two separate groups of illegal immigrants within hours during two chases on the night of April 6.

The first incident began in Graham County around 6:30 p.m. when a BOLO alert of a silver Nissan Sentra traveling north from Interstate 10 to Route 191 was aired on the County Dispatch. Shortly after, Graham County lawmakers witnessed a north-facing Nissan Sentra being chased by Arizona Department of Public Safety officers on Highway 191.

As the Sentra approached Safford, a deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the vehicle was unable to give way and recklessly entered and exited traffic, passing through a no-passing zone at approximately twice the speed, resulting in Instead, it accelerated to over 100 miles per hour. Speed ​​Limit. As Sentra headed for the city, a second lieutenant joined in pursuit.

Deputies were advised to end the chase as the suspect’s vehicle then turned east onto Main Street. Shortly thereafter, however, the County Dispatch received multiple calls regarding subjects running from vehicles leaving E. 7th Street.

However, Safford police were present at the scene, collaring four subjects and detaining a fifth subject nearby in the Eighth Avenue and Valley Avenue area. detained until placed under the custody of the

Later that same night, at about 11:22 p.m., a Safford police officer was parked at the intersection of US 191 and US 70 when several occupants drove into a blue Ford Escape that turned west into US 70. I noticed.

When officers attempted to stop traffic for a moving violation, Ford appeared to comply and slowed, pulling into land on the right and into Mount Graham Plaza just before the intersection with 20th Street.

However, the Safford police report said that just as the Ford began driving behind Sodalicious’s store, it accelerated north at high speed behind the parking lot.

Ford then crossed the ditch into farmland. Six occupants escaped from the vehicle and two remained in the SUV. A total of 8 adult UDAs of his (7 male, 1 female) were arrested and placed in Border Patrol custody.

U.S. Route 191 and U.S. Route 70 are used by human smugglers to transport UDA from the border to the Phoenix area without using Interstate 10. Law enforcement agencies have seen an increase in the number of such cases over the past month.