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Rented truck with Utah plates causes chaos at the border

Posted at 8:13 PM, May 13, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-14 00:06:11-04

TIJUANA, Mexico — A rented pickup truck registered in Utah crashed into dozens of vehicles, people and vendor carts Monday afternoon just across the border, according to reports from Mexican news sources and police.

A man of "American origin" was arrested after a chase that ended at the San Ysidro checkpoint on the U.S.-Mexico border, Tijuana Municipal Police tweeted. In his reckless driving spree, the man hit 17 vehicles, 14 vendor stalls and five people.

The truck had Utah license plates, Mexican news outlet Televisa reported. The truck belongs to a rental company, according to a CarFax report.

Televisa also reported that the driver and the only passenger in the truck -- one man and one woman -- were arrested and taken to the hospital.

It all began when the two started a fight with a pedestrian at about 3 p.m. near downtown Tijuana. Reporters said the man pulled out a knife and threatened the passerby.

After the altercation, they drove to the border crossing, where they injured four people — one in serious condition, Tijuana Police Chief Mario Martinez told Televisa. The truck also crashed into dozens of other objects, including cars and vendor stalls.

It is currently unknown who the suspects are, where they are from, possible causes or which rental company owns the truck. It was last serviced in Riverton toward the end of April, according to the report, but it was not clear where it was rented from.