Man fleeing immigration officers in Florida is struck and killed by tractor trailer, police say
A man running from an encounter with immigration and other federal agents in Florida was struck and killed by a tractor trailer on Tuesday, authorities said.
It was the third death in a week involving
encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, following shootings in
Texas and
Maine
The 28-year-old was among four occupants of a vehicle that stopped in the parking lot of a gas station and convenience store in the St. Augustine area before 7 a.m. During an encounter with agents from ICE and Homeland Security Investigations, the four fled on foot, with one darting across a busy road into the path of the semi, Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Dylan Bryan said in an emailed statement.
The driver of the semi stopped and tried to help the man, Bryan said.
It was at least the
10th death involving encounters with immigration agents since President Donald Trump launched his mass deportation campaign last year.
It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the encounter Tuesday. In an emailed statement, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed it had conducted an operation and said the Florida Highway Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations were “investigating an incident resulting in the death of a Mexican national.”
The department did not respond to an inquiry from The Associated Press about the status of the other three occupants of the vehicle.
