Suspected illegal immigrants found hiding in mulch pile

A stolen pickup, a police chase and a pile of mulch were all part of a wild turn of events early Tuesday morning in west Houston.

The incident began about 1 a.m. on Clay Road near Beltway 8-West when a man called police to report he saw people driving in his Ford F-350 pickup that had been stolen in August, said Kese Smith, a spokesman for the Houston Police Department. He followed the truck.

Smith said when police spotted the pickup a short time later, the driver sped away from them. Police drove after the truck. The pursuit ended in the 12000 block of Sowden when the 12 men inside the truck jumped out and ran away. Police chased them.

One of the officers, Smith said, fired his Taser at one of the suspects, but missed. However, the officer took the man into custody. A police K-9 discovered six other men hiding in a mulch pile nearby and they also were taken into custody. One of the men choked the dog and the police dog bit him in the upper arm. The other suspects who ran away were also captured.

In all, eleven men were turned over to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The injured suspect was taken to Memorial City hospital. His conditi0n was not released.