LA JOYA, Texas – A man driving a car full of suspected illegal immigrants lost his ear as he tried to flee from police.
The 22-year-old Mexican national had turned into a brushy field from a farm-to-market road Sunday when he tried to open the door and jump from the car, said Joe Cantu, a La Joya police spokesman.
The car door bounced against a tree and slammed shut on the man's head, cleanly severing his ear, police said.
Police and Border Patrol agents found four of the six passengers who fled the car after it came to a stop. Authorities also discovered four people in the car's trunk who were thought to be illegal immigrants from El Salvador and Honduras, Cantu said.
Police had stopped the 22-year-old driver, whose name was not released, for speeding. But he hit the gas after stopping beside of the road. After the accident, he was taken to a McAllen hospital.
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