Group of illegals immigrants arrested in Oklahoma City

Wednesday, May 4th 2005, 5:27 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) â€“ Oklahoma City Police arrested a group of illegal Mexican immigrants after the driver of the pickup truck in which they were riding fled when officers tried to stop him.

Officers found 16 passengers in the bed and cab of a truck after chasing the driver in a low-speed pursuit for around five miles on Tuesday.

The pickup was being stopped because radar showed it was traveling 77 mph on Interstate 40 near the Pottawatomie County line, police said.

The pickup slowed to 55 mph but did not pull over until a tractor-trailer driver saw the chase in his rearview mirror and slowed to a stop in front of the vehicle, authorities said.

The pickup driver, Jorge Luis Garcia, locked the door but one of the officers broke a window and discovered the other passengers, who confirmed their citizenship status in Spanish, authorities said.

Garcia and all the passengers, who ranged in age from 2 to 84, were turned over to Immigration and Naturalization Service officials to be held and possibly deported.