SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Border Patrol officials are interviewing survivors of a deadly crash, trying to learn why an agent drove off a 1,200-foot embankment, killing him and three of the seven men he apparently had arrested.
The seven men were suspected of attempting to enter the United States illegally, Border Patrol spokeswoman Gloria Chavez said Sunday.Agent Stephen M. Sullivan, 27, and three of his passengers were killed Saturday morning when his Ford Bronco plunged down the embankment in a remote area that is dangerous both for its treacherous terrain and for the thieves who prowl the area.
"This is one of the most rural and rugged areas we have in San Diego County," Border Patrol spokesman Mario Villareal said.
Two of the survivors were released from a hospital and taken into custody by the Border Patrol. The other two survivors were expected to be taken into custody soon, the agency said.
The conditions that make the area treacherous make it attractive for border crossers, who in recent years have been crossing in more remote areas in the wake of Operation Gatekeeper, a federal program that has increased the Border Patrol's presence in the region.
Authorities believe Sullivan took the seven men into custody after they crossed the border illegally in the mountains about 40 miles east of San Diego. Then he may have failed to negotiate a turn in the morning fog.