Mexican cartel leaders have put an attack on US Border Patrol in the San Diego sector after one of their members was run over by an agent.
After an incident from November 27 went viral online, showing a Border Patrol officer hitting a man with an SUV in response to an illegal entrance attempt, agents received warnings on Thursday that a retaliatory shooting might occur in the coming days.
“Information suggests a cartel member was involved in the incident. Therefore, cartel leaders are angered, claiming the incident occurred without cause or remorse,” the memo said.
“The information received indicated the shooting could possibly occur over the next few days. All agents, regardless of duty assignment, should remain vigilant,” it added.
The scene at the core of the cartels’ rage depicts six persons approaching a fence along the San Diego border after illegally entering the US.
As a Border Patrol agent arrives at the scene in an SUV, the males are seen fleeing on foot or attempting to jump the barrier, with one man briefly freezing on the road.
The truck then passes by and strikes the victim, sending him flying a few feet away. The suspect swiftly recovers and joins three others who are waiting for him, leading them down a steep slope in an attempt to flee.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stated in a statement that two people were arrested at the San Ysidro port of entry during the “human smuggling incident,” but they did not say if the guy hit by the automobile was among them.
The unidentified agent driving the car, according to Border Patrol officials, was focusing on the two individuals scaling the wall when he struck the man who froze on the road.
A source reportedly told The Post that the agent was “concentrating” on a ladder used by migrants to scale the border wall and that his in-vehicle computer monitor was impeding his vision.
The alleged smuggler “ran as fast as he could” back into Mexico, according to the source.
Since then, they have moved the agent to “desk duties,” meaning he is no longer on the front lines.
Human rights groups were quick to condemn the horrifying video, accusing the border patrol agent of purposely hitting the suspect with his car.
The United States Attorney’s Office and the CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility are currently investigating the event.
The tension at the San Diego-Mexico border comes only two months after the Sinaloa Cartel ordered its followers to shoot at Border Patrol officials in western Texas in response to the arrest of cofounder Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada.
The Sinaloa Cartel, led by Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, was accused of firing contractors working near Eagle Pass, Texas, on October 7.
The San Diego border area where the current incident occurred is a hotspot for cartel violence, with masked smugglers often attempting to assault and block officials and their vehicles, according to sources.
