Holly MatkinLaredo, TX – Bodycam footage captured the moment when a woman stuffed into a duffle bag in the trunk of a smuggler’s burning vehicle was rescued by police (video below).
The incident occurred on March 24, after U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) K9 alerted to something in 29-year-old alleged human smuggler David Padilla’s Infiniti QX56 at a checkpoint, the New York Post reported.
Padilla stomped on the accelerator and sped off, leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase through Webb County and into La Salle County, according to the Independent.
Police deployed tire-deflating devices shortly before Padilla crashed into a barrier on Interstate 35, the New York Post reported.
He bailed out of the SUV and tried to escape from police on foot, but he was quickly apprehended.
That’s when he realized the crashed vehicle had burst into flames.
“She’s in back,” Padilla told police, according to the New York Post. “Get her out of there. Did they get her out?”
Bodycam footage showed the USBP agents and Texas Department of Safety (DPS) troopers as they ran past clumps of burning debris and grass towards the crashed vehicle.
Black smoke was billowing from the SUV as the inferno grew.
They looked through the back window, but initially didn’t see anyone inside.
“She’s in the bag,” someone suddenly concluded.
The officers frantically busted out the rear window and carried a large black duffel bag away from the vehicle, the video showed.
They unzipped the bag and pulled the woman inside to her feet.
She appeared to be uninjured.
Padilla was subsequently arrested on multiple human trafficking charges, the New York Post reported.
“Smugglers continue to expose those they are smuggling to dangerous and life-threatening conditions,” DPS said after the incident, according to the paper.
The Department of Homeland Security is handling the case, the Daily Caller reported.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. Warning – Obscene Language:
MUST WATCH: @TxDPS assisted #USBP with a vehicle pursuit that ended with the vehicle crashing & igniting on fire. The smuggler fled leaving behind a female immigrant trapped inside the vehicle. @TxDPSSouth Sgt Genaro Hinojosa sprung into action and broke the rear window. 🧵1/2 pic.twitter.com/3qOMwoKrGw
— TxDPS – South Texas Region (@TxDPSSouth) March 31, 2022
