Suspected smuggler killed by Arizona border agent

GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. — A man suspected of smuggling drugs through a checkpoint on Interstate 19 in Green Valley was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent.

KVOA-TV reports the man failed to yield to a traffic stop Saturday and then led agents on a 15-mile chase.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department, which is leading the investigation, says the suspect's vehicle became stuck on a golf course with three agents on the scene.

Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Comm. David Theel says the suspect then fled on foot and agents were in a "use of force" situation.

Theel says several bundles of marijuana were found inside the car.

The shooting comes a day after the Border Patrol's parent agency released a critical report amid complaints that agents have used excessive force.

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