Rock Attacks on Border Patrol Agents Are Up

[Big Sexy]

Rock Attacks on Border Patrol Agents Are Up

20 July 2011
HS Today

Assaults by illegals, coyotes and narco-smugglers using large chunks of rock on US Border Patrol agents enforcing the US/Mexico border continue to escalate.

These attacks can be life-threatening. In some instances, Border Patrol agents have been critically injured when struck in the face and head.

Known as "rockings," some of these attacks have left agents no choice but to fire their weapons in self-defense. Unfortunately, in some instances, Border Patrol agents acting in self-defense have killed their assailants.

Critics, meanwhile, insist Border Patrol agents are too quick to use lethal force during “rockings”, implying that the rocks that are being thrown are small and do not pose a life threatening attack. But evidence shows that rocks that were thrown at agents who fired their weapons in response were of a size that did indeed pose a potentially life threatening assault.

And attacks on Border Patrol agents with large life-endangering rocks are on the rise.

Perhaps the most dramatic illustration of the threat that “rocking” poses to Border Patrol agents occurred more than two decades ago, in 1979, when two now retired Border Patrol agents narrowly averted being killed when their helicopter was brought down by a single large rock that was thrown at their chopper by an illegal who was among a group of illegals who were trying to cross the border. The two agents in the chopper were helping agents on the ground track the illegals.

The chopper, 74 Fox, was brought down in the Rio Grande River near Tijuana by a rock at an altitude of only 30 to 40 feet, according to former Border Patrol agents familiar with the incident.

“74 Fox was working a group [of illegals] a short distance north of the flood channel and a guide came north and started throwing rocks. He got lucky and a rock struck the tail rotor about 9 or 10 inches from the end of the rotor blade,” Homeland Security Today was told by a former Border Patrol agent directly familiar with the incident.

“The rotor blade is made of a honeycomb material covered by a thin sheet of aluminum and as it was spinning in excess of 10,000 RPM, the end sheared off,” the former agent said, noting that “this caused the helicopter to immediately start spinning uncontrollably. [The pilot] said he figured that he had 10 or 15 seconds before he lost consciousness; so he just dumped the collective losing all lift and crash land[ed] the helicopter on its skids. If he had not done that, the helicopter probably would have crashed on its side, killing both of them.”

But what is more frightening, the former Border Patrol agent said, is “it was clear the [illegal] aliens would have attacked the agent-pilot and co-pilot,” noting that he had “spoke with the pilot a few days ago and he emphasized that to me. I also spoke with the chief pilot on [the chopper], and he reiterated that.”

Late last month, the controversy over the Border Patrol’s use of lethal force in the face of life-threatening assaults by illegals and narco-traffickers with large rocks and other dangerous weapons erupted again when a Border Patrol agent killed 40-year-old Jose Yanez Reyes, who was with a group trying to illegally enter the US at the San Diego border with Tijuana, Mexico. The agent fired in self-defense at Reyes when Reyes and others in his group began to hurl not only large rocks at the agents, but also a piece of nail-studded wood that struck one of the agents in the head.

Despite reports to the contrary, though, potentially life threatening rockings and other assaults on Border Patrol agents have not substantively declined and do in fact pose a lethal threat to Border Patrol agents.

In June, a San Diego man who was attacked with a rock that hit his head succumbed to his injuries.

Nevertheless, as have most opponents of Border Patrol’s use of lethal force in encounters like that with Reyes in which evidence clearly shows Border Patrol agents have suffered serious injuries, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of San Diego & Imperial Counties Executive Director asserted, “we simply cannot allow our law-enforcement agents to use lethal force when confronted with rock throwers.”

[greg72982]

I say we throw rocks at the ACLU guy and see if he sticks by his argument

[MikeG]

Perhaps the most dramatic illustration of the threat that “rocking” poses to Border Patrol agents occurred more than two decades ago, in 1979,

I hate it when basic math escape journalists. 32 years is more than three decades. yes, technically, three decades is more than two. But I'm betting this journalist is still feeling like he's ten years younger than he really is and having to correct it would depress him.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

I'd like to see someone from the ACLU don a green uniform and patrol as an unarmed observer until they become a victim of a rocking.

Persons from another country who attack our front-line defenders should be classified as "invaders". Those who choose to employ rocks, sticks and other rudimentary means of weaponry should be classified as "armed invaders" (poorly armed - but armed, nonetheless).

As a country, we should get old school when repelling an armed invasion.

[greg72982]

Perhaps they should start arming Border Patrol with rocks instead of guns to please the ACLU. Not sure what other use of force they would recommend.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Maybe they should add these to the arsenal and get in some batting practice. We could have a wicked American team for the next Olympics!

[madchiken]

I'd like to see press releases on the number of weapons being seized by BP along our "more secure than ever" border...