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Man fleeing immigration officers in Florida is struck and killed by tractor trailer, police say

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Man fleeing immigration officers in Florida is struck and killed by tractor trailer, police say
News

News

Man fleeing immigration officers in Florida is struck and killed by tractor trailer, police say

2026-07-15 07:39 Last Updated At:07:50

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — A man running from an encounter with immigration and other federal agents in Florida was struck and killed by a tractor trailer on Tuesday, authorities said, marking the third death in a week involving encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents following shootings in Texas and Maine.

The 28-year-old was among four occupants of a vehicle that stopped in the parking lot of a gas station and convenience store in St. Augustine before 7 a.m.

During an encounter with agents from ICE and Homeland Security Investigations, the four fled on foot, with one darting across a busy road into the path of the semi, Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Dylan Bryan said in an emailed statement. The driver of the semi stopped and tried to help the man, Bryan said.

It was at least the 10th death involving encounters with immigration agents since President Donald Trump launched his mass deportation campaign last year. In two other cases, people died after fleeing agents and being struck by vehicles.

It wasn't immediately clear what prompted the encounter Tuesday, and the 28-year-old's nationality and immigration status were not known. Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately returned emails from The Associated Press seeking comment or information on the status of the other three occupants of the vehicle.

Last summer, a man fleeing from immigration officers outside a Home Depot store in southern California died after being hit by an SUV as he tried to cross a freeway. Homeland Security officials said that 52-year-old Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, of Guatemala, was not being pursued by immigration authorities when he was struck.

In October, a pickup truck fatally struck 24-year-old gardener Josué Castro Rivera, of Honduras, on a highway in Norfolk, Virginia, as he tried to escape authorities during a traffic stop. Authorities said Castro Rivera’s vehicle was stopped as part of a “targeted, intelligence-based” operation and that Castro Rivera had “resisted heavily and fled.”

In this photo provided by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, the eastbound lanes of SR 16 between Outlet Mall Boulevard and Inman Road in St. Augustine, Fla., are shutdown after a fatal collision. (St. Johns County Sheriff's Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, the eastbound lanes of SR 16 between Outlet Mall Boulevard and Inman Road in St. Augustine, Fla., are shutdown after a fatal collision. (St. Johns County Sheriff's Office via AP)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jerry Jones, the famous and ever-present owner of the Dallas Cowboys, finally showed up at the World Cup for the last of the tournament-high nine games at his NFL team's home stadium.

The billionaire businessman was keeping up from afar, and he attended Spain's 2-0 victory over France in the semifinals AT&T Stadium on Tuesday.

“I think first and foremost, he’s just a big event guy,” said Chad Estis, the Cowboys' executive vice president of business operations. “He loves the NFL. He loves the Dallas Cowboys. But he has a passion for events as much as anybody that I know. He very much wanted to ensure that the stadium was operating well.”

Judging by fans who eagerly anticipate seeing themselves on the giant video board that hangs above the center of the field and under the retractable roof — and then jump and wave for joy when they do — the venue temporarily renamed Dallas Stadium by FIFA has been a hit.

The Jones family has a suite for the World Cup, and that's where Jones was shown on the video board with his wife, Gene Jones, sitting next to him. The polarizing figure was met mostly with boos from the sellout crowd of 70,176.

Jones and some family members often leave the country on his yacht this time of year — between the end of offseason workouts for the Cowboys in June and the start of training camp in California in late July.

As a result, Jones wasn't there in person for a pair of record-setting performances from Argentina superstar Lionel Messi. Or Japanese fans leaving entire sections spotless by picking up after themselves — twice. Or Portugal star and career men's international scoring leader Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup game.

Those types of seminal moments were what Jones had in mind with the design and building of a stadium that opened in 2009 and in barely more than five years had hosted a Super Bowl and NCAA championship games in football and men's basketball.

Jones also was thinking about the fan experience, having used his own lessons from touring stadiums in Europe to include large standing-room viewing areas on three levels at each end.

An extensive art collection is punctuated by Anish Kapoor's stainless steel sculpture dubbed “sky mirror” outside on the east plaza. Kapoor is the creator of a similar sculpture in Chicago nicknamed “the bean.”

To prepare for the World Cup, the Cowboys pumped another $350 million into a stadium with an original price tag of $1.2 billon. The video board looks the same, but there were upgrades in the guts of that, along with new carpeting and furniture mostly in premium areas and an overhaul of the fan shop.

“I cannot tell you how many people come to our stadium and say, ‘I can’t believe this is 17 years old,’” Estis said. “People think it feels new. The whole thing’s been great, but it feels like it culminates in this phenomenal match tomorrow.”

Jones had to turn the stadium over to FIFA, which means the governing body got to put up curtains on the huge sliding glass doors on the west end for the only game where the setting sun could have shined into the eyes of the players.

NFL players, including Cowboys, losing footballs in the sun has been an occasional issue each fall. Each time the topic comes up, Jones flatly refuses to consider curtains. He prefers the asthetics and expects coaches and players to make game plans around the setting sun.

It will be too early in the day for the sun to be an issue when Spain and France play for a spot Sunday in the World Cup final at the home of the New York Jets and Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Jones wanted that final, but settled for the consolation prize of the most games, including sharing the semifinals with the home of the Atlanta Falcons, where Argentina and England play Wednesday.

“It’s just another great moment in an unbelievable sports legacy,” said Dan Hunt, co-chair of the local organizing committee and son of the late Lamar Hunt, who was one of Jones' rivals as owner of the Kansas City Chiefs.

“He’s been a world champion,” Dan Hunt said. “He’s a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He’s hosted Super Bowls, hosted almost everything you can at AT&T Stadium. And this is just another moment.”

Oh, one other thing Jones had to give up — his personal suite at the 50-yard line. Estis said FIFA thought it was perfect for a VIP area.

“We're like, ‘Wait a minute. Are you serious?’” Estis said with a chuckle. “I mean, I understand it. That's why Jerry's suite is there. It's the prime spot.”

Jones is giving up his prime spot for arguably the biggest single global sporting event to come to his venue. He'll just be in a different suite.

“I think I could imagine him being a little emotional about it,” Estis said. “To see him in design meetings and his attention to detail and his care for what the stadium looked and felt like to people, what it looked like from different angles walking up to it. He just he was so involved in the creation of what it is.”

Jones is set to feel the soccer vibe — finally.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Spain plays Portugal during a World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)

Spain plays Portugal during a World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)

Young fans hold a photo of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo before the World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Young fans hold a photo of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo before the World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Flags for Portugal and Spain are displayed as Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is seen on a screen ahead of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Portugal and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)

Flags for Portugal and Spain are displayed as Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is seen on a screen ahead of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Portugal and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)

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