A vehicle pursuit that hit speeds over 100 mph began in Hudspeth County before ending with the driver arrested after crashing into a canal in Socorro, outside El Paso, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman said.
The pursuit began after a Texas state trooper responded to a call by the U.S. Border Patrol about 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 15, asking for assistance in stopping a red Jeep heading westbound on Interstate 10 in Hudspeth County, Texas DPS spokesman Sgt. Eliot Torres said in an email.
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The pursuit started when a trooper located the Jeep on I-10 near Fort Hancock and attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver, Adrian Leonardo Sandoval, 31, of El Paso, allegedly refused to stop, DPS said.
Adrian Leonardo Sandoval was arrested by Texas state troopers on various charges after a vehicle pursuit that began in Hudspeth County and ended when his vehicle crashed into a canal in Socorro, Texas, on July 15, 2026, in El Paso County.
The Jeep reached speeds over 100 mph, tailgated other vehicles, drove onto the road shoulder and hit another vehicle before eventually crashing into a canal in the area of Bauman Road and North Loop Drive in Socorro, DPS said.
Sandoval was pulled from the canal along with a female passenger, who was taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries after both were checked by paramedics, DPS stated.
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Sandoval was booked into the El Paso County Jail in Downtown on charges of evading arrest causing serious bodily injury, reckless driving and failure to stop and render aid, DPS stated. He also faces a possible human smuggling charge as the investigation continues.
Sandoval remained jailed on Thursday, July 16, with bail pending on the evading arrest and failure to stop charges, which were to be set due to Senate Bill 9 (SB 9), which blocks the release of suspects in certain violent crimes. Bond was set at $5,000 on the reckless driving case.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso man arrested after Texas DPS pursuit ends in canal crash
