SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A man who allegedly captained a boat that crashed in coastal waters near Point Loma during an apparent human-smuggling operation, killing three people and injuring more than two dozen others, was slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday on federal charges related to attempted smuggling and assault on a Border Patrol agent.
According to a complaint filed in San Diego federal court, Antonio Hurtado, a U.S. citizen, drove the vessel that crashed about 50 yards from the shore at around 10 a.m. Sunday.
Customs and Border Protection Supervisory Officer Javier Garcia said lifeguards were notified of a vessel experiencing trouble near the tidepools at Cabrillo National Monument and that the reporting party initially told dispatchers one person was on board.
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A rescue boat responded to the scene, but minutes later the 40-foot trawler-style vessel crashed into the rocky shoreline near Cabrillo National Monument and capsized, according to the Border Patrol. All the occupants jumped in the water as the boat slowly disintegrated, a bystander's video showed.
Two women and one man, all Mexican citizens, were killed. The San Diego County medical examiner identified them Tuesday as 41-year-old Maria Eugenia Chavez-Segovia, 35-year-old Maricela Hernandez Sanchez and 29-year-old Victor Perez Degollado.
Hurtado and 29 others were taken to hospitals for treatment.
According to an affidavit, migrants who were aboard the boat said they paid between $15,000 and $18,500 to be smuggled into the United States and identified Hurtado as the vessel's captain.
The filing also alleges that while Border Patrol agents attempted to shackle Hurtado's ankle at the Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station, he struck an agent in the head with his knee, leaving the agent with "slight redness on his forehead and a burning sensation."
