By Police1 Staff
MESA, Ariz.— The driver of a truck carrying 18 passengers died early Friday when it crashed into a pole following a high-speed chase.
The incident began when an officer tried to pull the truck over after he noticed it swerving, according to The Associated Press.
The driver—tailed by a police helicopter—sped through several stoplights, and missed a turn before crashing into a steel pole. The driver died in the crash.
Mesa police Det. Steve Berry said 18 passengers were found in the cab and bed of the truck.
According to abc15.com, the passengers were all Hispanic adults. Several of them were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were called to the scene to help determine whether the people in the truck were undocumented.
There are suspicions it was a human-smuggling load, according to Amber Cargil of I.C.E.