Documents reveal details of a tragic DPS pursuit in Texas that ended in the death of an innocent woman

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — New documents detail the police operation that led to a Texas DPS chase that left an innocent 44-year-old woman dead. This was the first death of an innocent bystander in El Paso since Operation Lone Star began three years ago.

According to police documents, law enforcement appears to have quietly pursued 17-year-old Joseph Maldonado of Horizon City before attempting to pull him over, sparking a high-speed chase that ended in a crash and killing innocent bystander Wendy J. Rodriguez.

RELATED:DPS chase in Texas ends tragically; innocent woman killed

The documents describe that on the morning of Oct. 4, U.S. Border Patrol agents and a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter followed a group of six migrants hiding in the bushes outside a restaurant at 2670 Airport Road. in Santa Teresa, behind a Travelodge Hotel.

At about 7:50 a.m., the document says Maldonado parked a red 2010 Dodge Charger in the parking lot and picked up the migrants from the brush.

The Texas DPS helicopter then reportedly followed Maldonado for five miles as he traveled along the Pete V. Domenici Memorial Highway until it turned onto Artcraft Road and crossed the New Mexico-Texas state line.

According to the documents, at that point the helicopter notified Texas DPS patrol units on the ground of Maldonado’s location, at which point an officer attempted a traffic stop and stated that the Charger’s high-mounted brake lights were broken or non-compliant.

As the officer attempted to stop the Charger, Maldonado allegedly hit the accelerator and attempted to flee through traffic until he ran a red light at the intersection of Upper Valley and Artcraft Road and collided with two vehicles – a blue Toyota Corolla and a White Chevrolet pickup truck sending the Toyota Corolla into the pole of a traffic light.

After the crash, the document said, officers arrested Maldonado and the six migrants as they exited the Charger.

At the same time, first responders attempted to rescue Rodriguez, who was unresponsive and trapped in the Corolla.

According to the documents. Emergency responders had to use the “claws of life” to free Rodriguez before taking her to the hospital.

Unfortunately, Rodriguez was pronounced dead at 8:44 a.m

After the incident, police officers at a DPS facility in Texas questioned Maldonado, who they said committed human smuggling, adding that he was paid $300 per migrant and communicated with them via WhatsApp.

RELATED:County commissioner raises safety concerns over DPS pursuits in El Paso

The incident was the first documented death of an innocent bystander during a Texas DPS chase in El Paso and drew the attention of local political leaders.

“You know, it’s very tragic and very sad to have heard about this,” said El Paso County Commissioner Sergio Coronado.

Coronado said he and County Commissioner Carlos Leon have both spoken with the state and DPS leaders about pursuits and the dangers they pose to the El Paso community.

“Commissioner Leon and I met with the state DPS director, Mr. McCall, and raised these issues regarding the safety of others in the community due to these high-speed pursuits,” Coronado said.

El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar agreed, saying she was “heartbroken,” adding that she had “sounded the alarm that high-speed vehicle chases in urban areas are putting innocent people in grave danger.”

Additionally, Escobar pointed out that incidents like this are the reason many law enforcement agencies – including the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office – have stopped pursuing high-speed vehicles.

Escobar’s full written statement:

My heart breaks to learn that an El Paso woman lost her life in a high-speed chase between DPS and an El Paso woman suspected of human smuggling.

Too many young people have been lured into human trafficking by cartels and the seemingly easy money that trafficking brings them. This not only ruins their lives, but also endangers the lives and safety of everyone in El Paso. Today a family in our community suffered a tragic loss due to a young man’s terrible decision.

I have sounded the alarm that high-speed vehicle chases in urban areas are putting innocent people in grave danger. For this reason, many law enforcement agencies prohibit their officers from participating in these dangerous activities (the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is one locally). And that’s why I called on the Department of Homeland Security to modernize its high-speed tracking policies as well — and was grateful for it.

Those law enforcement agencies that have changed their policies to prosecute high speeds in urban areas have recognized that there are other ways to both combat crime and keep citizens safe on the road.

DPS has engaged ruthlessly in our community and my office has filed complaints from El Paso residents who have been wrongfully prosecuted, wrongfully arrested, and who have suffered significant property damage without DPS remediation. We have forwarded these complaints to the Department of Justice and asked for an investigation.

TXDPS policies need to change – urgently.

My thoughts are with the family of the victim whose life was unnecessarily cut short today.

It shouldn’t take the death of an innocent bystander to spur action to save lives.

The day of the incident, KFOX14/CBS4 spoke to people on the street who said they had gotten used to these chases and accidents.

“I see accidents like this every day when I drive to work… I live right down the street, there’s always DPS in the corners, 24/7, so it distracts drivers,” said Ricardo from El Paso Gonzalez added: “I wish there was a different approach to stopping immigration.”

Another El Paso resident said she was afraid of seeing her family members in the middle of a dangerous DPS chase.

“It can happen to anyone, like anyone. So of course no one wants something like this to happen to them or their families,” said Yukare Coronado.

Ultimately, Gonzalez feels that while law enforcement is fighting human smuggling, they are forgetting the impact these tactics have on the people of El Paso.

“The safety of the El Paso community is also at risk and I think we spend so much time and money fighting immigration, but what about the community? We forget about it,” Gonzalez said.

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