Shots fired at San Diego border crossing; 4 hurt

(NECN/KGTV: San Diego, Calif.) – Federal agents fired shots at the busiest border crossing in the United States, injuring three people who were riding in vans crammed with illegal immigrants, authorities said. One of those vans smashed into another vehicle in an attempt to bypass border inspectors, injuring a fourth person. In the alleged case of human trafficking, 74 people inside the vans were taken into federal custody. Two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and a Customs and Border Patrol agent fired shots across nine lines to try to stop the vans, he said. There was no return fire. “It was human smuggling, definitely,” ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack said. The incident caused a scare at the San Ysidro port, where witness Carlos Orrego snapped photos of fellow witnesses as the hit the floor. “I hear like six gunshots and they told us to lay down on the floor,” Orrego said. “Everybody was scared, and some people were crying.” Northbound traffic across the border was shut down for hours while police interviewed hundreds of witnesses and put together evidence. The San Ysidro port connects San Diego with Tijuana, Mexico, and it is where roughly 40,000 vehicles cross into the United States each day. San Diego police spokesman Lt. Kevin Rooney said the van drivers tried to storm past inspectors at the San Ysidro port of entry and enter the United States without stopping. “They got caught in traffic, and the last one tried to back up. The other two drove wildly looking for an open space to drive through,” Rooney said. “That’s when they encountered the three agents, who all ended up firing from different vantage points.” Material from The Associated Press used in this report. Video courtesy of KGTV.