A U.S. Border Patrol agent is hospitalized following an incident where an illegal immigrant allegedly ran a checkpoint, striking the agent with a steel roadway sign. The illegal alien sped through the checkpoint and fled to apparently avoid inspection. Two others were in the car.

Border Patrol agents assigned to a checkpoint in East County observed a man approaching in a 2009 Infinity G35 sedan. The driver initiated a U-turn before the checkpoint and drove the wrong way into oncoming traffic, according to information provided to Breitbart Texas by U.S. Border Patrol officials. The driver suddenly executed another U-turn and sped toward the checkpoint–reaching a speed of nearly 70 miles per hour, officials stated.

As the driver approached, he swerved out of the lanes of cars waiting for inspection to bypass the position. In doing so, he struck a steel road sign — parts of which struck a Border Patrol agent working nearby. The debris from the sign injured the agent who had to be hospitalized.

The driver bypassed the checkpoint and took off on I-8. Agents pursued the fleeing driver. The pursuit reached speeds in excess of 100 mph, officials reported. Suddenly, the driver lost control of the G35 and crashed on a berm. After climbing out of the car, the driver fled on foot.

As other agents arrived on the scene, they secured the two occupants and checked them for injuries. Finding none, the agents placed the male passengers under arrest. Other agents pursued the driver on foot.

The agents found the driver hiding in the garage of a private home, officials explained. They took the man into custody.

An investigation revealed the 27-year-old driver and the two male passengers, ages 27 and 40, were all illegally present in the U.S. The driver faces charges of transporting aliens illegally present in the United States, officials reported. All three Mexican nationals are being held in federal custody.

Breitbart Texas reached out to Border Patrol officials for more information about the extent of the agent’s injuries and what additional charges might be filed against the driver and his passengers. A response was not immediately available.

Border Patrol agents are among the most assaulted law enforcement officers in the federal government. Assaults on agents are up 15 percent during FY 2017 according to the most current reports available from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Breitbart Texas reported in September. Nearly 700 agents have been assaulted since October 1, 2016.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions promised swift and sure prosecution for any illegal alien assaulting an agent during a speech in April before CBP personnel in Arizona, Breitbart Texas reported.