Opinion ID: 78365
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Facts Leading to the Stop of Bautista-Silva's Vehicle

Text: Senior Agent Richard Cole testified that he joined the United States Border Patrol in 1992. From 1992 to 1998, Agent Cole was stationed in Nogales, Arizona, where he was involved with many aspects of enforcing immigration nationality law. In 1998, Agent Cole transferred to Orlando, Florida, where he continued to assist with enforcing immigration law. Agent Cole has monitored traffic for human smuggling operations throughout his career and has performed countless investigative stops based on reasonable suspicion for illegal aliens or alien smuggling. On March 20, 2008, Agent Cole and Agent Sergio Perez were monitoring southbound traffic on Interstate 95 in Brevard County, Florida, as they had done throughout the previous three years, based on intelligence provided by the Border Patrol that illegal aliens used that interstate highway to travel to South Florida. The uniformed agents were in Agent Cole's official marked vehicle, and Agent Cole was in the driver's seat of the vehicle. The vehicle was parked at a rest stop in a very wide, open area that allowed the agents to observe, and be observed by, southbound traffic. Around 11:00 a.m., Agent Cole saw a silver Chevrolet Suburban that contained Bautista-Silva and five passengers. As the Suburban approached the agents' location, it was driving along with traffic, more or less behind a pickup truck pulling a flat trailer with some objects in it. As the Suburban passed the agents it suddenly seemed to get up alongside the truck. Agent Cole observed that the Suburban had California license plates, the driver and passenger in the front of the vehicle were Hispanic adult males, and the other four passengers were also adult males. Agent Cole suspected that the Suburban contained illegal aliens and decided to pursue the Suburban to investigate. After Agent Cole drove onto the highway, the Suburban increased its speed. As he attempted to catch up with the Suburban, Agent Cole observed that it was traveling very fast because it was passing a lot of vehicles in the left lane. It took Agent Cole about two or three minutes to catch up with the Suburban, during which time he drove in excess of 100 miles an hour. When Agent Cole first caught up with the Suburban, Agent Cole's vehicle was positioned behind the Suburban and both vehicles were traveling about 90 miles an hour. When Agent Cole pulled up alongside the Suburban to get a better look, the Suburban immediately slowed down very quickly. Agent Cole decelerated to maintain his position beside the Suburban, opened the passenger window of his vehicle, and tried to get the attention of the passengers of the Suburban. The passengers appeared nervous, did not acknowledge the agents, and just continued to look straight ahead. Agent Cole then stopped the Suburban. Bautista-Silva and all five of the passengers admitted they were illegal aliens from Mexico, and the agents took all six men into custody.