A 21-year-old Rio Rico woman is in custody after fleeing from a Border Patrol checkpoint with two children and an undocumented woman on Monday evening.
An agent became suspicious when the undocumented woman failed to respond to his immigration questions at the Interstate 19 checkpoint in Amado, Ariz., a news release said. He referred the vehicle to the secondary inspection area for further questioning.
A vehicle pursuit began when the 21-year-old driver failed to comply and sped away. Before agents arrested her, an accident occurred when she ran a red light at the Continental Road intersection.
The woman was charged for human smuggling and fleeing an immigration checkpoint, the release said. The passenger, a 19-year-old Mexican national, was processed for immigration violations. The two children, both U.S. citizens, were turned over to the Arizona Department of Child Protective Services.