Horrifying Moment A Mexican cartel member fired an AK-47 at a Texas DPS helicopter patrolling near the southern border, resulting in a deadly gunfight in which five people were killed.
- A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter was patrolling the Rio Grande Valley in Starr County, Texas on Wednesday when it spotted a suspected cartel member.
- A helicopter camera captured the suspect aiming his AK-47 at the aircraft, causing the pilot to veer off course.
- After the suspect’s SUV sped off into Mexican territory, the Mexican military gathered around the alleged cartel hideout, leading to a shootout.
- Five suspected cartel members were killed, four more were arrested, and four rifles were confiscated.
A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter was patrolling the southern border when a suspected drug cartel member pointed an AK-47 at the aircraft, as seen in a recently released dramatic video.
The incident occurred on Wednesday when a traffic police helicopter flew over the Rio Grande River in Starr County, Texas.
Helicopter footage shows a man standing next to a red SUV on the Mexican side of the border.
Moments later, a man on the ground appears to be aiming his AK-47 at the DPS helicopter, prompting the pilot to swerve to avoid being fired upon.
A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter was patrolling the Rio Grande Valley in Starr County, Texas on Wednesday when it spotted a suspected drug cartel member.
A man standing next to a red SUV parked on the Mexican side of the border pulled out an AK-47 and pointed it at the helicopter.
A helicopter camera captured the suspect aiming an assault rifle at the plane, causing his pilot to deviate.
“They have AK-47s, they just pointed at us,” the pilot calmly reports over the radio.
The footage, lasting 2 minutes and 44 seconds, shows the car of a suspected cartel member rushing deep into Mexico, according to Fox News.
DPS officials contacted the Mexican authorities and led them to the suspects.
The video shows military vehicles carrying Mexican soldiers approaching the alleged cartel hideout.
The Mexican government said a shootout broke out between its military and alleged cartel members, killing five suspects.
Four other people were arrested and four rifles were seized, according to the Texas DPS.
The location where the DPS helicopter was threatened on Wednesday is the same location where suspected cartel members have fired at the U.S. Border Patrol from across the river over the past few months, most recently in February. Nobody was hurt in that incident.
The SUV dug deep into Mexican territory, setting the stage for a deadly showdown with the Mexican military.
Mexican soldiers exchange fire with alleged cartel members, five of them are killed and four are arrested.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott retweeted a video from a helicopter and blamed President Joe Biden’s policies for the situation on the border.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, retweeted a video from a DPS helicopter and pointed the finger at President Joe Biden’s immigration policy.
“Biden’s Open Borders Policy Pushes Cartels into Human Trafficking [sic] women, children, drugs and attacks on our law enforcement,” Abbott tweeted. “God bless @TxDPS for risking their lives to keep us safe.”