Posted on 05/12/2011 9:33:17 PM PDT by smokingfrog
GILA BEND, Ariz. — Two Border Patrol agents rushing to help capture some suspected illegal immigrants were killed Thursday when their SUV entered a marked railroad crossing and was struck by a freight train.
The crash happened in a rural farming area near Interstate 8 and the town of Gila Bend, about 85 miles southwest of Phoenix.
Yuma Border Patrol sector spokesman Agent Kenneth Quillin said the agents were trying to position themselves on a road north of some other agents who were trying to capture a group of suspected illegal immigrants.
The suspects were on foot, and none of them have been arrested, Quillin said. "We do see groups on a regular basis traveling through this area."
The crash happened at a railroad crossing that is marked but does not have railroad crossing arms, he said.
The Union Pacific train with 75 cars was doing about 62 mph when it hit the SUV, pushing it a mile down the tracks. TV news footage from the scene showed the mangled black vehicle in front of the train's engine. Tarps were placed over some of the wreckage.
Before the collision, the train engineers saw the SUV on the access road and blew the train's horn, Maricopa County Sheriff's Lt. Aaron Douglas said.
The agents' names were withheld pending notification of family. They were assigned to the Yuma sector, which has close to 1,000 agents.
George McCubbin, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said one of the agents who died recently transferred to the sector from El Centro, Calif.
He said he did not yet know all the specifics of the crash, but said the men died in the line of duty.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Practically nothing left of their SUV.
Obama lied and agents died.
What a tragedy! Condolences to their families.
I am not buying it. SP comes through GB 4 times a day. Border Patrol knows they are cooking thru the area.
SP= Southern Pacific and GB= Gila Bend. Union Pacific I would guess bought out SP.
Everyone in that area can see those huge SD,LB trains coming many thousands of ft before you cross a desert track. This smells of an attack and set-up of dead bodies.
It does seem a bit odd, but also mentions that one of the agents was new to the area.
This is truly sad and may become more interesting once the details are revealed. The names of the slain officers were given earlier in the day on the local abc station. The first name of one was “Hector” while the surname of the other was Hispanic (Rojas I think). It is surreal to think about Hispanics gainfully employed being killed by their own. This is out of control.
Of course. I know that area like the back of my hand.
Nobody is caught off guard by a freight train barreling through. This is spin.
it is weird. that area is flat and open. not much to obstruct a view. the only thing i can think of is they thought that could make it through the crossing before the train did, or they were already dead and the train was used to destroy evidence. someone else on the thread thought that, as well.
I waved to those engineers twice a day as I passed by on the old Maricopa Rd. at 75mph.
Those trains would not surprise law-enforcement, let alone civilians. This story is a cover.
agreed. eye love your name, by the way.
Keep in mind that anything south of I-8 is OFF-LIMITS. The cartels are now advancing beyond and I have seen footage tonight of the Butterfield Trail as an outlet.
Obama has Arizona blood on his hands big time.
Well, I’ve been mocked for it but it sums it up. Thanks
I used to see illegals hopping off the SP freight trains in Casa Grande around the Frito Lay plant. I told a border control agent about it once at the Circle K on Peart and Florence.
I am sick and tired of seeing our people die because of a prolonged invasion by a hostile enemy.
I despise the sick, pathetic mewlings of an incompetent federal government that refuses to deal with the issue in any true capacity whatever towards the end of resolving it and protecting American citizens.
IMHO, the fedguv has utterly and completely failed the people of Arizona.
Many of the smugglers they catch now are armed, I would imagine that is why they were in such a hurry to get to where they were needed to back up other agents. Knowing smugglers are likely to be armed might also have caused them to focus too much on the back up request they got at the expense of their own safety at the RR tracks.
The BP has been catching armed smugglers in my area recently and I have noticed the BP really scrambles now when they need to assist other agents. The whole picture has changed, our administration has obviously not noticed but it is more dangerous than ever on the border- for BP as well as others in the area. A BP nearly ran me off the road last week while responding to a call I guess, though he didn’t hit his lights until he was past me- I was driving a full size pickup and I am sure he never saw me until it was almost too late.
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