EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Police in Chihuahua, Mexico, have arrested a suspected firearms smuggler after a pursuit that ended with his vehicle on fire.
Border Report obtained video taken from a police helicopter camera showing a red SUV speeding on a rural road in northern Chihuahua.
The vehicle driven by a man later identified by police as Juan Carlos N. leaves a cloud of dust in its wake. Later, the vehicle comes to a stop and catches fire as police officers circle the scene.
The Chihuahua state police said the vehicle overturned, but the video shows groves on the dirt road more in line with skid marks.
Police said the suspect not only survived the abrupt stop and fire but tried to flee into the desert on foot before being taken into custody. Police said the red Jeep Cherokee was transporting three rifles, a gun, 262 bullets, 10 ammo magazines and a bulletproof vest.
It’s illegal to possess firearms in Mexico except through a permit from the Ministry of Defense. The army runs the only firearms store in the country, which sells an average of 38 guns a day, according to Los Angeles Times.
Mexico is suing U.S. firearms manufacturers and five Arizona gun dealers for allegedly allowing the weapons they make or sell to end up in the hands of criminal organizations that kill thousands in Mexico every year.
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