Oblin Jeremias Redondo-Lopez, High-Speed Flight from an Immigration Checkpoint, Arizona 2022

A high-speed chase through southern Arizona ended with the arrest of an 18-year-old Honduran national, who is now facing federal charges.

Oblin Jeremias Redondo-Lopez, 18, of Honduras, was apprehended on September 20, 2022, after fleeing from a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on West Arivaca Road near Amado, Arizona. The vehicle, a gold 2002 Buick Rendezvous, failed to slow down or stop as required by the speed bumps and signage, and instead fled the checkpoint with agents in pursuit.

According to authorities, the driver, Redondo-Lopez, continued onto Interstate 10, traveling at an estimated 110 miles per hour in a 75 mile per hour zone before being stopped by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department on Interstate 10 near Picacho Peak.

Redondo-Lopez had his initial appearance yesterday before United States Magistrate Judge Eric J. Markovich. A conviction for High-Speed Flight from an Immigration Checkpoint carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

A criminal complaint is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.

In related news, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department is reminding drivers to always follow speed limit signs and Arizona Department of Transportation regulations when approaching checkpoints.

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