Agent, El Paso native killed

By Stephanie Sanchez / El Paso Times

Article Launched: 01/21/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

A Border Patrol agent struck and killed by a vehicle being driven by a suspected drug smuggler Saturday near Yuma, Ariz., was identified Sunday as an El Pasoan who graduated from El Paso High School.

Senior Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar Jr., 32, was killed when he attempted to stop a suspected smuggler who had illegally entered the country from Mexico, said Michael Bernacke, a spokesman for the agency's Yuma sector.

Bernacke said Aguilar was trying to place spike strips in the path of a Hummer and a Ford pickup on Interstate 8 when the vehicle driven by the suspected smuggler hit and killed Aguilar. The death occurred about 9 a.m. Saturday near the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, which is in southeastern California about 20 miles west of Yuma.

Officials said both vehicles fled into Mexico.

The FBI is leading the investigation, along with other federal, state and local authorities.

Bernacke said Mexican authorities also have been contacted and that they are aiding the search for the suspects.

According to the Customs and Border Protection Web site, Aguilar is the first agent to be killed by smuggling suspects in several years. Most other agents killed in the line of duty died in crashes or drownings.