BP agent Tasers suspected drug smuggler

A Nogales Station agent used a Taser on a suspected drug smuggler Thursday after the suspect made a threatening move toward the agent, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday.

The agent, who suspected a vehicle might be carrying narcotics, tried to make a traffic stop at the intersection of Western Avenue and Kitchen Street in Nogales, but the driver sped up. The man then jumped from the moving vehicle, the Border Patrol said.

The agent chased the man on foot, but as the agent moved in, the man turned toward the agent and reached inside his jacket. The suspect refused to get on the ground at the agent’s command and the agent Tasered him, the Border Patrol said.

A knife in a sheath was found inside the man’s jacket and 243 pounds of pot were found in the vehicle, the Border Patrol said.

A Border Patrol EMT checked out the suspect who declined medical treatment, the Border Patrol said.

The suspect, vehicle and drugs were taken the Nogales Station for processing and the man faces federal charges, the Border Patrol said.

In other activity in the Tucson Sector on Thursday:

Arrest

Ajo Station agents apprehended a Mexican man for illegally entering the United States. The man admitted to being a member of the Sureño 13 gang. He was held for a reinstatement of a prior removal order and faces possible federal charges.

Assist

Nogales agents working at the Interstate 19 checkpoint found weapons on two people when they pulled over a vehicle for inspection after a canine alerted agents to possible drugs.

Record checks revealed the driver, a minor, was arrested in November for a narcotics violation. The driver and his passenger did not have driver's licenses and the Department of Public were called in.

The pair was searched and agents found the weapons, one of which was stolen. Both weapons were seized and the subject with the stolen gun was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm. 

Rescues

Casa Grande Station agents responding to an activation from a rescue beacon found nine Guatemalan nationals in the country illegally. None of the people required medical attention, but said they were tired from walking through the desert. They were were taken to the station for processing.