A Texas National Guardsman was arrested and charged with human smuggling after a high-speed car chase.
The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed Savion Amari Donovan Johnson was arrested on March 31 after a 15-mile chase. Police reportedly tried to pull the 26-year-old for speeding on a farm road after approaching a Border Patrol checkpoint on Highway 674. Johnson surpassed 100 miles per hour during the ensuing chase.
One person was observed jumping out of Johnosn’s silver SUV before he was pulled over. The chase ended when the SUV hit spikes placed on the road by police. Johnson has been charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, evading arrest, and human smuggling.
In body camera footage from the arrest, Johnson can be heard saying “I am so stupid.”
“Yeah you are f—ing stupid, man,” said one unidentified officer. “Do you know how many people you could have f—ing killed man? Jesus Christ!”
“I f—ed up,” Johnson replied.
The footage also captures police finding his driver’s license and other identification that linked Johnson to the state guard. #BREAKING A Texas National Guard soldier deployed from McAllen to Eagle pass under Operation Lonestar was busted for attempting to smuggle an illegal immigrant in a government vehicle on Sunday.
Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe says the soldier turned around when he approached a… pic.twitter.com/HrIIqXmNTq
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) April 3, 2024
The man Johnson was allegedly trying to transport later turned himself in and was processed by Border Patorl, according to The Hill. The outlet also reported Johnson was promised $5,000 to $6,000.
Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe confirmed to NewsNation that Johnson was assigned to Operation Lonestar – Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s multi-year, multi-agency effort to reduce drug smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal immigration at the Mexico border. The initiative launched in 2021.
“President Biden’s reckless open border policies have created an ongoing crisis at our southern border as record levels of illegal immigrants and deadly drugs pour into Texas,” the governor’s office said. “While the federal government ignores this crisis, Texas is holding the line.”
Abbott’s office denounced the report of Johson’s arrest.
“If the allegations are true, the accused is a traitor and criminal,” a spokesman for Abbott said in a statement, per The New York Post. “We have zero tolerance for Texans who violate laws that directly contradict the mission we are seeking to achieve. The accused’s illegal smuggling may subject him to a mandatory minimum prison sentence of at least 10 years. He deserves more.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has warned of the danger of human smuggling.
“Individuals seeking covert entry into the United States know they need to pay an organization for transport,” stated the federal agency. “Smuggling organizations, often associated with other transnational criminal organizations and able to take advantage of people in desperate circumstances, provide that transportation at a significant cost. Human smuggling on the southwest border of the U.S. is a daily occurrence.”
