Hourly Update

Illegal entrant taken to UMC after chase near Bisbee ends in rollover

An illegal entrant was airlifted to a Tucson hospital early Thursday morning after a vehicle pursuit ended in a rollover east of Bisbee. The pursuit began at 11:05 p.m. Wednesday when a Border Patrol agent attempted to stop a 1996 Chevy Tahoe carrying seven illegal entrants on Naco Highway northeast of the Naco port of entry, said Carol Capas, Cochise County Sheriff's spokeswoman. The driver of the vehicle, Aron Toral Perez, 32, of Mexico, didn't stop and drove at high speeds north on Naco Highway, east on Arizona 92, the wrong way through the traffic circle south of Bisbee and east on Arizona 80 until turning north on North Oro Road where the vehicle rolled, Capas said. The pursuit covered about 15 miles and lasted about 12 minutes. Emergency personnel encountered one adult male unconscious with "substantive" injuries and called for a helicopter to take him to University Medical Center in Tucson, Capas said. His condition was unavailable Thursday morning. Perez was taken to Copper Queen Community Hospital in Bisbee where his blood was drawn, she said. He admitted to being the driver and drinking alcohol, she said. He has been charged with six counts of endangerment, DUI and failure to yield. The other six illegal entrants and the vehicle were turned over to the Border Patrol.