Crime & Safety
Mob Attacks Agents Near Border, BP Says
People threw rocks and bottles at U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Tijuana River Valley Sunday after an agent deployed pepper spray balls into a crowd of more than 100 people who illegally crossed the border.
Originally published 4:02 p.m. Nov. 25.
U.S. Border Patrol agents working in the Tijuana River Valley Sunday were assaulted when more than 100 people illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and began to throw rocks and bottles, the federal agency said in a press release Monday.
The crowd crossed the border around 2 p.m. less than a mile from the San Ysidro Port of Entry and headed toward an agent who told the group to stop. When they ignored his demand the agent used a PepperBall Launcher System.
"The crowd failed to respond appropriately," the statement said. "Numerous agents responded to the scene as the crowd became increasingly unruly and began throwing rocks and bottles."
Mexican authorities were contacted as agents continued to deploy pepper spray balls. Eventually the crowd dispersed.
"While attacks on border patrol agents are not uncommon, the agents showed great restraint when faced with the dangers of this unusually large group, and fortunately no one was seriously injured," said San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Paul Beeson.
No arrests were made.
"This is something i've never seen before," said agent Timothy Hamill. "Apparently they came north, threw a bunch of stuff at agents and went back south."
No agents were hospitalized, Hamill said. It is not known if people involved in the altercation who went back south of the border were hospitalized.
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