Bond set for man accused of crashing into El Paso Country Club pond after DPS pursuit

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The man accused of smuggling migrants and endangering lives as he sped through streets and a golf course over the weekend, was in court Tuesday.

Javier Pena, a Michigan man, is charged with Smuggling of persons: Fleeing and Evading Arrest Detention w/ Vehicle or Watercraft. Pena is being held on bonds totaling $45,000.

Emotions ran high in his bond hearing.

Pena's public defender, Maya Quevedo gave an intense speech about the incident and the State of Texas' Operation Lone Star as a whole.

Quevedo voiced her concern about the Texas Department of Public Safety for continuing the dangerous pursuit and putting people in danger.

According to court records, Pena drove through the fields where numerous people were playing with no regard for public safety. 

He later crashed into a pond where he and six others attempted to flee, DPS said they were non-citizens and turned over to Border Patrol. 

El Paso Country Club General Manager, Andy Khatami, sent us this statement:

"On Sunday October 8th around 8 am, several of our members and I witnessed a car chase throughout our golf course. El paso Country Club is a private country club for its members and their families. When here, they are confident that they are in a safe environment for their enjoyment and pleasure. To witness a chase with 13 cars involved was not very pleasant. Thank god that it was early in the morning with less members around and no one got hurt. If this chase had not ended as early as it did, we could have faced a very different outcome! Having 13 cars speeding throughout the golf course which is no different than a park may have caused far more damages than just tire marks on the grass!

I understand that the DPS and the officers were doing their job and I place no blame on what they had to do. The sad reality remains that violence and danger these days can hit us in many ways even at a private environment like ours!"

KVIA did reach out to DPS about this arrest, we are waiting for comment.