2nd crash with suspected smugglers in 24 hours; 3 dead in rollover crash on I-10 near Wilcox

WILCOX, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Authorities in Arizona are investigating two separate crashes involving suspected human smugglers that happened within a day of each other.

Deadly rollover crash in Wilcox

The first crash happened around 10:40 a.m. Sunday morning when first responders were called to the westbound lanes of I-10 near milepost 357 in Wilcox. According to the Department of Public Safety, troopers were trying to stop a vehicle driving with a stolen license plate. Police say the driver refused to stop. Troopers deployed spike strips and that’s when the driver lost control and the vehicle rolled over. Troopers say that 10 passengers, all suspected undocumented migrants, were inside the vehicle. Three of them were pronounced dead at the scene. Five passengers, plus the driver inside the vehicle were hospitalized with serious injuries. An investigation is still underway.

Monday morning pursuit ends in rollover crash near Eloy

Meanwhile, in Eloy, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office says a pursuit ensued after an attempted traffic stop on the I-10 near milepost 217. Deputies say that at one point, the vehicle crossed over into oncoming traffic being. Two of the four passengers, who authorities noted were all undocumented. The driver of the vehicle, a U.S. citizen is now in custody. “It does appear this was an attempted human smuggling attempt,” a sheriff spokesperson told Arizona’s Family. No other information was immediately released.

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