PIT maneuver used by DPS troopers leads to fatal wreck
A “PIT maneuver” used by state troopers on a fleeing vehicle caused it to roll over resulting in the deaths of two people, authorities said.
A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper attempted to stop a green Isuzu Axiom after 7:30 a.m. Monday, March 11, for a traffic violation in El Paso’s Upper Valley area, but the driver refused to stop, DPS officials said. The vehicle lead troopers on a chase.
The El Paso Times first reported on the crash when it occurred. Texas Department of Public Safety officials have slowly released additional information on the crash in the days that have followed. The name of the suspect and the motive for fleeing troopers still have not been released.
The Isuzu driver crashed into the back of another vehicle at the intersection of Redd Road and Doniphan Drive. The trooper “attempted to disable the suspect vehicle using the Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver,” officials said. A PIT maneuver is when one vehicle hits the side of another vehicle forcing it to go sideways in an attempt to get that vehicle to stop.
The PIT maneuver caused the Isuzu driver to lose control of the vehicle, officials said. The Isuzu rolled over.
There were eight people inside the Isuzu at the time of the crash.
Two passengers died in the rollover crash and two other passengers were taken to a hospital for medical treatment, officials said. No information was released on the current conditions of the two injured passengers.
Three other passengers were treated by emergency medical personnel at the crash, officials said.
The Isuzu driver, whose name has not been released, was taken into custody.
DPS officials have not said if the incident involved human smuggling.
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” DPS officials said in a news release. “No additional information is available.”
The El Paso Upper Valley area has become a hotbed of migrant-trafficking activity including drivers picking up migrants who cross the border illegally and taking them to stash houses in El Paso and the surrounding area. El Paso has seen numerous crashes involving state troopers chasing suspected human smugglers in recent years.