Couple mistaken for human smugglers?

GILA BEND, AZ - It has all the makings of a horror movie; a husband and wife were nearly carjacked by strangers in the middle of nowhere when they were struck with car troubles.

The couple was driving near Gila Bend on their way to Phoenix when they got a flat tire. The two pulled their car over, and seconds later, Maricopa County Sheriff's officers said three men opened up the vehicle and got inside.

The strangers grabbed the wife’s purse, got out of the car and ran as she began to scream.

“Oh, my God! I’m still shaking," the wife said to a 911 operator. “We were ambushed. Three guys jumped into the back seat of our car."

The scare happened Sunday.

Sheriff's deputies raced to the scene. With the help of a helicopter, deputies caught three men about 80 yards from the roadway. Deputies arrested Angel Cruz, Rafael Valenzuela, and Juan Pinuelas. All three are Mexican citizens according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators say the men may have confused the husband and wife's stopped car for a human smuggler's vehicle coming to pick them up. Undocumented immigrants crossing the border from Mexico often wait along roadsides in the dark for paid smugglers to retrieve them.

All three suspects were taken to jail for human smuggling related crimes.

Authorities are not releasing the victims' names at this time.