3 dead, 8 injured when Border Patrol uses spike strip to stop fleeing pickup on I-8 near Boulevard

[DonViejo]

Source: San Diego Union Tribune



By Alex Riggins
November 29, 2018 8:35 p.m.

Three people were killed and eight were injured when a pickup fleeing from Border Patrol agents hit a spike strip, veered onto an embankment and rolled Thursday afternoon on westbound Interstate 8 near Boulevard, authorities said.

Border Patrol agents gave chase to the Chevrolet Silverado pickup, which had two people in the cab and nine in the bed, about 4:25 p.m., CHP spokesman Officer Travis Garrow said. The truck crashed while fleeing at an “extremely high rate of speed” on the two-lane interstate east of Crestwood Road near the Golden Acorn Casino.

“It was spike-stripped by the Border Patrol, continued westbound, went up a dirt and rock embankment and rolled, ejecting either nine or 10 people out of the vehicle,” Garrow said.

A male driver and a female passenger were believed to be the only occupants seated in the cab of the truck, Garrow said. Nine men were in the bed, which had no camper shell or other type of covering.

Read more: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/sd-me-interstate-8-rollover-deadly-crash-20181129-story.html

[MineralMan]

2. They might have been undocumented. That's the crime.

I hadn't heard that it was a capital offense, though. Maybe that has changed.

Also note that they were in the United States, not just crossing the immediate border. As such, they are subject to the laws of the United States and of California. Not having papers does not warrant the death penalty, nor execution delivered by a spike strip that destabilizes a vehicle.

This is obscene.

[marble falls]

5. "This is obscene." Says it all.

[christx30]

10. Running from the police, or any authority

is never a good idea. Forgetting the physical risks running entails, they can also add charges to you once they catch you. The driver is probably going to get charged with felony evading, felony murder, and anything related to helping the undocumented people he was carrying.

[oneshooter]

13. No, it is obseane that people still believe that they can violate the law, and when caught,

try to run. It was the drivers decision to run, thus endangering not only himself, but his passengers ( riding in the open bed of a pickup0 but and other person who may be on that road.

[MGKrebs]

24. If it was that simple we might as well just give every crime the death penalty.

But in a civilized society the punishment is supposed to fit the crime.
It was a bad decision to use the spike strip.

[EX500rider]

30. ".....we might as well just give every crime the death penalty"

Except using a spike strip to stop a car is not "the death penalty" Guy lost control and wrecked, he might have done that without the spike strips.

[MichMan]

28. If law enforcement has a policy stating they will not pursue in high speed chases...

….do you think there would be more or less people fleeing police ?

[jmowreader]

36. I think there would be more

If floorboarding the car is effectively a get-out-of-jail-free card, everyone the police get behind will floorboard the car.

[oneshooter]

7. I am sure that the driver of the vehicle will be charged with several felonies.

Unless you would rather see him set free?

[oneshooter]

12. However running from Federal Officers IS a felony.

The driver, who made the decision to run can, and will, be charged with the deaths of his passengers. At a minimum.

[Devil Child]

19. "This truck was weaving in and out of traffic at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour"

You assert the actions by the PD were reckless and led to unnecessary deaths. I assert the drivers actions of crossing the border illegally, running from pd, continuing the chase, and endangering other motorists constituted extreme recklessness.

Charge the driver with the deaths of his passengers.

[zipplewrath]

26. Both can be true

The driver will assuredly be charged.

What consequences will the PD face?

[EX500rider]

31. "Speeding isn't a felony" Some speeding is...

In many cases it is not, but it all depends on your state's speeding laws. Driving over 100 mph may, under some circumstances, be a felony offense -- a crime punishable by fine or a year or more in jail.

[3Hotdogs]

3. JESUS CHRIST !

What the fuck is wrong with them? Sick fucks.

That device should never be used anyway.

[Stainless]

4. Welcome to Trump's Amerikkka

Border Patrol and ICE should be wearing white sheets with hoods.

[oneshooter]

6. So you advocate that if a LE tries to pull you over,

and you do not want to because of "what ever" they should just let you go?

[bluestarone]

8. What are YOU advocating? Evidently you support possible death to all because of drivers decision?

There are other WAYS to handle this are there not?

[oneshooter]

15. "because of drivers decision " You face possable DEATH every time you cross a road. Is the driver

not responsible for his decisions and how said decisions effect others?

[bluestarone]

16. Guess you don't get it so i will stop trying!!

[MineralMan]

11. I'm quite certain that poster is not advocating any such thing.

Three people died. Perhaps we can consider that, don't you think? Not wanting to be arrested is not a capital offense in any jurisdiction I know of, especially without due process.

High speed chases and devices like spike strips have often been the cause of unnecessary deaths. Many people are opposed to such measures. You, perhaps, are not. That does not mean you can freely insult those who are. Nope.

If you do, someone will surely explain the same thing I am explaining to you. Three people died. Unfortunately, they can no longer speak for themselves. Others will have to speak for them.

I'm somewhat familiar with your positions, as stated on DU.

[oneshooter]

14. No, people running, at high speed., from LE are the cause. And should be charged as such. n/t

[ManiacJoe]

18. Sounds like people do not know how spike strips work.

The spike strips put small holes in the tires causing them to slowly deflate, giving the driver time to gracefully bring the vehicle to a stop.

In this case the driver chose not to stop the truck and eventually lost control, causing the people illegally riding in the back to be killed and injured.

[EX500rider]

20. It's no win for the police...

....if they don't try and stop the car/truck and it plows through a red light and kills a family in a van it is the cops fault, if they do try and stop the fleeing suspect and he loses control and crashes it is their fault. Why is none of it the fault of the fleeing suspect?

[oneshooter]

21. Because to many here LE is ALWAYS at fault. n/t

[rollin74]

22. the driver was 100% responsible for those deaths. I hope he is charged with 3 counts of manslaughter

plus lots of other charges he has coming his way

evading and driving 100mph like a maniac with 9 people in the back. He deserves a very lengthy prison sentence

[oneshooter]

23. Not according to several people here. LE is ALWAYS wrong.

[Calista241]

25. Spike strips have been used for decades.

Run from the cops at your own peril, and the cops had all the authority they needed to try and stop the vehicle.

This is the first incident I can recall where stop sticks were involved in a fatality. They're generally seen as safer to use than a PIT maneuver or any other method the cops could have used to stop the vehicle.

These people are dead because the driver made a series of bad decisions. If anyone is liable for the deaths, it's the driver.

[zipplewrath]

27. People in the bed

As soon as the folks were seen in the bed, the chase probably should have been stopped. Unlike the vast majority of situations where spike strips are used, this was a foreseeable outcome. Just because the suspect is creating a hazardous situation, doesn't mean that the PD should exacerbate it.

[oneshooter]

29. So, how would you have handeled it? You are now in charge.

Make a decision.

[oneshooter]

35. 8 hours and no answer.

Kinda what I expected.

[zipplewrath]

40. Sorry I have a life. n/t

[oneshooter]

46. So did I. Untill I broke my ankle.

Go into surgery on Thursday, them 8 weeks recovery time. Got to have something to keep my mind busy.

[zipplewrath]

47. Bummer

I was off for 6 weeks after back surgery. Line up things to keep ya busy while ya convalesce. Get Babble or Rosetta Stone or something and learn a language. Especially ones with good swear words for your upcoming physical therapy.

[oneshooter]

48. I have 8 years of USMC training in swear. n/t

[zipplewrath]

49. Oooo. So you went pro!

Can you make it sound like poetry?

[oneshooter]

50. That depends on what you consider "poetry"..

And THAT depends on if you are on the sending end, or the receiving end.

[zipplewrath]

39. Stop pursuit

If there is an aerial asset, use it. Otherwise, pick 'em up later in the month when they aren't running.

[zipplewrath]

45. 12 hours later

Is this where I'm supposed to say something about it being 12 hours later?

[EX500rider]

32. And if some of the people in the cab are being kidnapped or the driver is a serial killer?

"Unlike the vast majority of situations where spike strips are used, this was a foreseeable outcome."
Why exactly? Is it common for spike strips to flip a vehicle? I don't think it is.

Guy over corrected and lost it, could have done that even without the strip at those speeds.

[zipplewrath]

41. And if...

One can always imagine a situation that allows extreme use of force. None the less, numerous police departments do not allow high speed chases without "cause". That's prior cause, not imagined cause. Our own department here has reduced massively the allowable conditions under which the officers can shoot into moving vehicles because of the relative danger to the usefulness. These spike strips have a similar feature, which is to create a MORE hazardous condition than the one that is KNOWN at the time.

[EX500rider]

42. "One can always imagine a situation that allows extreme use of force"

Except that's not what stop spikes are? They are a way to safely slow down or stop a fleeing vehicle, much safer generally then a PIT maneuver would be, esp with a high center of gravity pickup truck. The driver lost control and flipped it. He might have done that without the spikes with a overloaded pickup.

[zipplewrath]

44. Not in this instance

There was nothing safe about this situation, due to the negligence of the driver and passengers. But that was plainly obvious to the PD who chose to use the stop spikes. The truck didn't even have to roll over to put all of those passengers in the bed into mortal danger. They were already there. The spikes only worsened the situation.

[MichMan]

33. If law enforcement has a policy stating they will not pursue in high speed chases...

…..do you think that would decrease or increase the number of people fleeing police ?

[alphafemale]

34. Once you have the plate number just mail the ticket.

Just like a red-light camera.

Or show up at the house later if a warrant is issued.

Police chase is pure unneeded testosterone in traffic offenses.

[MichMan]

37. So all you need is a stolen plate then ....

[alphafemale]

38. It is more important that cops get to kill people.

Because maybe there was a crime.

[EX500rider]

43. Because generally the ones who run ARE wanted for a crime, that's why they ran.

Last edited Tue Dec 4, 2018, 02:34 PM - Edit history (1)

I am sure many of us here have gotten tickets for high speed driving, but when the lights went on behind us we pull over, if you don't there is usually a reason. A no chase policy is a get out of jail free card for real wanted criminals, murders, rapist, serial killers etc.