Saturday, at 10:40 p.m., a Pinal County sheriff’s deputy was working the area near Highways 84 and 347 and observed three vehicles traveling in a row at 75 mph in the 55 mph zone.
The three vehicles were a 1996 Nissan Altima, 1996 Ford Taurus and a 1998 Chevy sedan. Traffic stops were initiated on all three vehicles by deputies from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Maricopa Police Department.
The driver of the Nissan immediately slammed on the brakes and skidded off the road. Three of the occupants fled from the vehicle on foot. Inside the vehicle were four additional passengers. All four admitted to being in the United States illegally from Mexico.
The driver of the Ford stopped, and all six occupants admitted to being in the United States illegally from Mexico.
The driver of the Chevy stopped, but all six of its occupants fled on foot. A search was conducted, but only two of the individuals were found. One of the individuals was the mother of a 10-year-old female who was also found; both admitted to being in the United States illegally from Mexico.
The U.S. Border Patrol responded, and all of the individuals were turned over to them for processing.
File photo
![Phoenix police stop a stolen vehicle on April 20, 2024. [Facebook]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5040-218x150.jpg "Alleged car thief released without charges")
