Unbelievable! Just unbelievable!
By Debbi Farr Baker
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM
7:52 a.m. September 28, 2007
CHULA VISTA – Three suspected illegal immigrants, including a 10-year-old child, were found trapped in the underside of a van early Friday morning after they were abandoned and heard screaming for help.
Police got a call about 4 a.m. reporting that screaming could be heard coming from a dark blue 1995 Chrysler Plymouth van parked at an AM/PM mini-mart on Palomar Street near Interstate 5, said Chula Vista Lt. Lon Turner.
The three were covered by sheet metal that had been spot welded to the undercarriage of the vehicle, Turner said. Firefighters had to prop up the van and cut them out of it, he said.
Authorities did not say if the child was a boy or a girl.
Police believe the three had been smuggled over the border shortly before they were found. Officers believe the driver of the van abandoned them when they started to scream for help.
Turner said he did not know if they were yelling because they were being injured by the heat of the van's engine or were just frightened. They were all taken to hospitals to be treated for minor injuries, Turner said.
The child – who was not related to the two men – will be taken to Polinsky Children's Center and officials will try to reunite him or her with relatives. Border Patrol officials were notified about the incident.
Debbi Baker: (619) 293-1710;
debbi.baker@uniontrib.com
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