This is the horrific moment two baby-faced smugglers, aged just 12 and 15, crashed their vehicle on a Texas highway while trying to outrun law enforcement — severely injuring the illegal migrant they were ferrying.
The ordeal unfolded after the 15-year-old driver led authorities on a high-speed chase in Frio County, west of San Antonio, on Wednesday, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
Dashcam footage captured the moment the teen driver lost control in the wet conditions and vaulted the vehicle up an embankment and onto the I-35.
The boys, who haven’t been identified but are both from San Antonio, could be heard crying out for help from the overturned wreck as officers used hammers and picks to smash the windows in.
“Please, help me out sir,” one of the teens said.
After being pulled from the wreckage, the teens were filmed sitting in the middle of the highway as officers worked to free the illegal migrant stashed inside.
The migrant, who also hasn’t been named, suffered “incapacitating injuries” in the crash and was taken to hospital for treatment, authorities said.
The vehicle they were in had been reported stolen in San Antonio.
The 15-year-old was arrested and charged with human smuggling causing bodily injury, evading arrest causing bodily injury, drug possession and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Authorities said his 12-year-old passenger was a reported runaway who was also involved in human smuggling, but he wasn’t charged.
The crash is just the latest incident involving teen smugglers, who are increasingly being lured in by cartels to transport illegal migrants in exchange for cash.
The teens are quick to accept the offers after being falsely told they won’t be prosecuted if they’re caught because they are juveniles, authorities say.
In New Mexico, a 13-year-old boy was arrested last October after he was busted driving an SUV packed with 10 illegal immigrants.
A 15-year-old girl, who was transporting several migrants, was also accused of leading Texas troopers on a high speed chase in El Paso last August, which ended in a multi-vehicle wreck.
