Two conflicting accounts emerge about an early morning crash between ICE agents and a truck driver in Northwest Harris County, one from a federal agency and one from the man’s family.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened around 6:41 a.m. Tuesday in the 12400 block of Old Foltin Road in Northwest Harris County. Luis Eduardo Villanueva Loredo, 52, is currently being held at the Montgomery ICE Processing Center. His family tells KPRC 2 News they spoke with him by phone after the crash.
Through a translator, Villanueva Loredo’s sister-in-law Patricia Hernandez described what he told her happened.
“Earlier this morning, he left to go to work. He was getting out of the house. There were two or three cars following him with no lights, nothing at all,” the translator relayed.
The family says Villanueva Loredo became suspicious and believed he was about to be robbed.
According to the family, an ICE vehicle then struck him from behind.
“One of the ICE agents in the car hit him from behind in the corner of the truck. That’s when he lost the wheel. That’s when he came into that ditch right there,” the translator said.
DHS tells a different story.
According to an ICE spokesperson, agents activated their emergency lights and sirens before attempting to stop Villanueva Loredo. The agency says he drove into a ditch while trying to evade law enforcement. Federal officers stopped, believing the vehicle was stuck. Moments later, according to DHS, Villanueva Loredo’s truck pulled out of the ditch and struck the front driver’s side of the ICE vehicle. He then exited the truck and fled on foot before being taken into custody after a short foot chase.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the pickup went into a ditch during the pursuit. When the vehicle came back out, the two vehicles made contact, breaking a taillight on the truck.
While still at the scene, Villanueva Loredo complained of chest pains. EMS responded, found nothing immediately wrong and transported him to a local hospital as a precaution. He is expected to be okay.
DHS says Villanueva Loredo is a Mexican national who entered the United States illegally and was previously granted a voluntary return to Mexico on March 26, 2007. His family disputes DHS’s claim that he had prior deportation orders.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash in consultation with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
