A Roma man ran from a traffic stop. He left several people by the Rio Grande, court records show. Now he faces two felony charges in Starr County.
Erick Martin Barrera-Corro is charged with evading arrest with a vehicle. He is also charged with smuggling of persons. Both are third-degree felonies. That means each charge can bring 2 to 10 years in prison if he is convicted.
The case matters here in South Texas. It shows how smuggling runs can turn into high-speed chases on our roads. Cops say drivers often bail out or run when they see lights. That puts everyone on the road at risk, not just the people in the car.
Court records tell what happened. It started on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at about 9:37 a.m. A Starr County Sheriff's Office deputy was parked near F.M. 2360, outside Rio Grande City. He saw a white Volkswagen Passat going east on Highway 83. The car had a broken tail light.
The deputy followed the car. He turned on his lights to pull it over for the broken tail light. The driver waited, then stopped near Pipeline Road on Highway 83. The deputy got out of his truck. Right then, the front passenger jumped out and ran into the woods near Fausto's Ranch. The driver sped off and would not stop.
The deputy chased the car east for about two miles. The driver then turned onto El Faro Road in Sullivan City. He drove south for about three miles. The chase ended at the riverbank near the Los Ebanos Ferry. Several people jumped out of the car there. They ran into the brush by the river. Border Patrol agents from McAllen came to search but could not find anyone.
The deputy says he got a good look at the driver's face. He says he would know him again. The car sat empty when the deputy searched it. He found no drugs and no guns inside. He did find a Texas car insurance card. It had Barrera-Corro's name on it. The front bumper and right side of the car were banged up from the chase. A wrecker towed the car to the Starr County impound yard. It was seized as evidence.
A records check showed who owned the car. The 2015 Volkswagen Passat was registered to Barrera-Corro, of Roma. The next day, the deputy pulled his driver's license photo. He also checked the car's border crossing history with a Border Patrol agent in Rio Grande City.
Those records showed something important. The same Passat had crossed into the United States that same morning. It came through the Roma Port of Entry at about 8:39 a.m. Border Patrol told the deputy that Barrera-Corro was driving. He was the only person in the car at that crossing. The deputy used the license photo and the crossing pictures. He said he was sure Barrera-Corro was the driver who ran from the stop.
A Starr County judge signed arrest warrants for both charges on May 22, 2026. Court records show a deputy arrested Barrera-Corro on the warrant at the Starr County Jail on June 16, 2026. His case is now pending in the 381st District Court in Rio Grande City.
The people who ran into the brush by the river have not been found. That is what the complaint says. It is not clear how many people were in the car. The case stays open. It is not yet known when Barrera-Corro will go back to court.
