SAN YSIDRO -- A video purportedly showing a portion of the confrontation that led to the death of an illegal immigrant at the San Diego-Tijuana border crossing has surfaced on the website of a Baja California newspaper.
In the raw video taken by a young man on his cellphone, Anastasio Hernandez Rojas can be heard yelling for help as U.S. Border Patrol agents attempt to subdue him.
The incident began last month when Hernandez-Rojas was arrested with several other men on Otay Mountain and brought them to the San Ysidro station for processing.
Hernandez-Rojas signed papers agreeing to be returned to Mexico.
At the gate leading to Mexico, agents removed the man's handcuffs and he became violent, San Diego police Capt. Jim Collins said.
"The agents and the subject all fell to the ground during the fight, and the agents radioed for assistance," Collins said.
Customs and Border Protection agents joined the struggle, and a CBP agent fired a Taser at Hernandez-Rojas, he said.
Hernandez-Rojas stopped breathing, police said.
Agents began cardiopulmonary resuscitation and called paramedics.
Hernandez, who had methamphetamine in his system, died of a heart attack, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office.
Hernandez's relatives said the he had lived illegally in San Diego County for 20 years before he was deported, and then eventually arrested as he tried to cross back into the U.S. with his brother in the rugged mountains east of Tijuana.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry issued a statement Monday, saying it "expresses its indignation and reiterates its strongest condemnation of the acts that caused the death of Mr. Hernandez-Rojas.''
"Through the Mexican Consulate in San Diego, the Foreign Ministry will continue to providing the necessary support to Mr. Hernandez-Rojas' family, including legal advice, in order to determine the legal procedures that will lead to a full clarification of the causes of this tragic loss and to bring those responsible to justice,'' according to the statement.
Collins said results of the investigation will be sent to federal prosecutors, who will determine if criminal charges are filed.
In the raw video taken by a young man on his cellphone, Anastasio Hernandez Rojas can be heard yelling for help as U.S. Border Patrol agents attempt to subdue him.
Hernandez-Rojas signed papers agreeing to be returned to Mexico.
At the gate leading to Mexico, agents removed the man's handcuffs and he became violent, San Diego police Capt. Jim Collins said.
"The agents and the subject all fell to the ground during the fight, and the agents radioed for assistance," Collins said.
Customs and Border Protection agents joined the struggle, and a CBP agent fired a Taser at Hernandez-Rojas, he said.
Hernandez-Rojas stopped breathing, police said.
Agents began cardiopulmonary resuscitation and called paramedics.
Hernandez, who had methamphetamine in his system, died of a heart attack, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office.
Hernandez's relatives said the he had lived illegally in San Diego County for 20 years before he was deported, and then eventually arrested as he tried to cross back into the U.S. with his brother in the rugged mountains east of Tijuana.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry issued a statement Monday, saying it "expresses its indignation and reiterates its strongest condemnation of the acts that caused the death of Mr. Hernandez-Rojas.''
"Through the Mexican Consulate in San Diego, the Foreign Ministry will continue to providing the necessary support to Mr. Hernandez-Rojas' family, including legal advice, in order to determine the legal procedures that will lead to a full clarification of the causes of this tragic loss and to bring those responsible to justice,'' according to the statement.
Collins said results of the investigation will be sent to federal prosecutors, who will determine if criminal charges are filed.
