Police say man robbed El Paso auto store while smuggling 6-year-old migrant

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- An Albuquerque man is accused of robbing an auto parts store while attempting to smuggle three migrants, including a 6-year-old girl.

Police charged 20-year-old Brayan Ramirez with 5 different crimes, including endangering a child, evading arrest, human smuggling, aggravated robbery, and unauthorized use of a car.

On April 18, 2023 police were called out to the O'Reilly Auto Parts store on Redd Road. When they arrived, they learned two men had threatened a store employee with a gun before they drove off with some stolen items. The other man, 21-year-old Santa Fe, New Mexico resident Obedt Mendoza, is also facing an aggravated robbery charge.

Soon after that, officers spotted the pair's car near the Kohls on North Desert. Officers tried to stop the car, but they say Ramirez avoided the traffic stop. They chased Ramirez before his car flipped over on I-10 West near mile marker five.

When officers walked up to the car, they say they discovered three female migrants inside. One of them was six years old. They were taken to the hospital for minor injuries before being turned over to border patrol.

Police say they then discovered that the car Ramirez was driving had been stolen in New Mexico.

Ramirez and Mendoza were booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility.