DPS: Man arrested after chase, 9 migrants found

WEBB COUNTY, Tex. (KGNS) - A man was arrested Wednesday morning, June 18, after leading state troopers on a chase along I-35 in a stolen truck, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

The incident began around 7:13 a.m., when a DPS trooper tried to pull over a 2022 GMC Sierra for a traffic violation near mile marker 32. The driver did not stop, and a pursuit began heading south on I-35.

Another trooper deployed stop sticks near mile marker 18, which deflated the truck’s tires. The vehicle slowed, and nine passengers—all undocumented migrants—fled on foot, DPS said.

Despite the tire damage, the truck kept going and came to a full stop near the frontage road by mile marker 17. The driver, 23-year-old Samuel Huerta, ran from the scene but was caught by Webb County Sheriff’s deputies, according to DPS.

Troopers later confirmed the truck had been reported stolen out of Harris County.

Huerta was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest, nine counts of human smuggling, and evading on foot, DPS said. He was booked into the Webb County Jail.

The nine migrants, who are from Mexico and Honduras, were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol.

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