Migrant boat captain rammed pursuing police off Palm Beach — then beached, deputies say
The captain of a boat police say was smuggling migrants rammed a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office patrol boat driven by a deputy trying to intercept the vessel Friday morning, the agency said.
The deputy was patrolling east of the Jupiter Inlet around 9 a.m. when he tried to stop the suspected migrant boat, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.
The boat captain then used his vessel to ram the police boat, damaging two engines, Barbera said.
The captain beached the boat just north of the Juno pier and was met by road patrol deputies, who arrested the captain, identified as 30-year-old Bazaeluis Francois. They also took 14 migrants into custody, Barbera said. No one was injured in the incident.
The U.S. Border Patrol ended up taking a total of 17 migrants into custody from the boat. One person is from the Bahamas and 16 others from Haiti, Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar said in a statement.
Bazaeluis faces two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, Barbera said.
This story was originally published August 25, 2023 at 12:07 PM.
