U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped smugglers who attempted to flee in two separate incidents last week.

The first event occurred near Boulevard in eastern San Diego County when an agent using surveillance equipment saw a group of people running north from the U.S. / Mexico border. As agents responded , 11 people packed themselves into the cab and under a bed cover of a Ford truck. Agents attempted to stop the truck but the driver fled at a high rate of speed. Just minutes later Border Patrol agents used a tire deflation device to stop the truck on Tierra del Sol Road. The driver , a 20-year old U.S. citizen was arrested and faces federal charges of alien smuggling. The 11 passengers , Mexican nationals , were processed for removal.

The second incident occurred at the State Route 94 checkpoint near Jamul. A car approached the primary inspection lane and , when the agent began to ask questions , the driver accelerated and fled the checkpoint. Agents pursued the vehicle and , as they chased the car , observed two men jump out of the moving vehicle's trunk. The chase ended a short time later and the driver , an 18-year old U.S. citizen , was taken into custody. The two men who jumped from the trunk were uninjured and were processed for removal from the U.S.