1 killed, 2 injured when 'coyote' crashes vehicle while fleeing Maricopa police

MARICOPA, AZ - A deadly rollover accident in Maricopa Sunday left one dead and two injured after the driver, an alleged “coyote,” fled a pursuing police car.

According to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, the accident occurred after the driver of a 1998 Pontiac Grand Am fled police, who attempted to stop the vehicle at Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway near Hartman Road around 9 p.m.

Police terminated the pursuit and just over 10 minutes later the Pontiac was involved in a rollover accident into the Maricopa canal.

Inside the vehicle were five male occupants. Both the driver and front seat passenger fled on foot after the collision which left one passenger dead and two others injured. All three were thrown from the back seat 10 to 20 feet from the vehicle, according to authorities.

Eric Garcia, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene while 22-year-old Edgardo Soriano is still in extremely critical condition after being airlifted from the scene to Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix.

The other back-seat passenger, Juan Aquino, 22, was also treated at Maricopa Medical Center for a broken clavicle as well as several abrasions.

Aquino was later interviewed and told police that Garcia, Soriano and he had paid $3,000 for “coyotes” to drive them from Mexico to Los Angeles, California.

Aquino claimed the driver was a “coyote” and even though they could no longer see police, the driver continued at a high rate of speed and ultimately lost control of the vehicle, causing him to crash.

Authorities said after the interview, Aquino was turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol.