Hidalgo County, TX, USA - April 30, 2024

[Note: partially no sound]

DPS Troopers followed a human smuggler in a Ford F-150 on a high-speed pursuit in Hidalgo County. The driver, Julio Ivan Jimenez Vargas, an illegal immigrant from Mexico and a Paisa gang member, evaded Troopers traveling 100 mph, forcing oncoming traffic off the road. Vargas eventually stopped and bailed out toward the brush, DPS’ Aircraft Division provided air support to Troopers on the ground by directing them to where Vargas was hiding.

Vargas was apprehended and charged with continuous smuggling of persons with likelihood of serious bodily injury or death, evading arrest with a vehicle and evading arrest with a previous conviction. Seven illegal immigrants inside the vehicle were referred to US Border Patrol.