A 15-year-old Mexican boy driving a sedan packed with seven undocumented immigrants led Texas police on a high-speed chase before all the suspects got out of the car and made a run for freedom, authorities said.
Dashcam footage released by authorities on Saturday showed the dramatic pursuit, which ended on a dirt road less than a mile from the US border in Mission, Texas.
The underage illegal driver pushed a Chevrolet to high speeds on highways and local roads in Hidalgo County as troopers gave chase, the footage showed.
After turning onto the unpaved road, flanked by wooded areas, the driver pulled over and eight young men were seen frantically getting out of the car and scrambling in all directions.
Officials later caught up with all of the suspects and found the seven passengers were in the US illegally, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers.
They were referred to Border Patrol officials and the unidentified driver was taken into custody and charged with smuggling of persons and evading arrest, police said.
Earlier this month, a 15-year-old and a 12-year-old suspected of human smuggling crashed a car outside San Antonio while trying to outrun cops.
The accident severely injured the illegal migrant they were ferrying, police said.