A California teenager has been arrested for driving a “cloned” Border Patrol vehicle.
The vehicle had elaborate decal work to look like an official SUV.
On Sunday evening, at approximately 6:25 p.m., the El Centro station’s Remote Video Surveillance System Operators noticed a possible cloned Border Patrol Chevrolet Tahoe.
“Agents responded and attempted to conduct a vehicle stop on the cloned vehicle, but the vehicle continued to travel eastbound,” Border Patrol said in a press release about the incident. “An agent positioned ahead of the vehicle’s location successfully deployed a Controlled Tire Deflation Device to slow the vehicle down to a complete stop, near Mount Signal Road and Highway 98.”
When the agents approached the vehicle, the driver attempted to flee on foot and hide in some nearby brush.
“He was later apprehended and in an immediate search of the vehicle, agents confirmed it as a clone. Agents determined that the U.S. citizen was the sole occupant of the vehicle,” the press release added.
The driver, an 18-year-old United States citizen, was placed under arrest and transported to El Centro Processing Center for further investigation. His name was not made public by the agency.
“The border in El Centro Sector is closed, and this is yet another example of our zero tolerance for smuggling and illegal entry” said Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino. “I am so proud of El Centro border security professionals who make it awfully hard on smugglers to ply their trade here!”
The vehicle will be seized according to the agency’s policy.