Man says he was carjacked near Palominas School

By Cathy Murphy

Herald/Review - 10/10/02

BISBEE -- An 18-year-old man was attacked and his car was stolen Tuesday night as he put water in his radiator on Highway 92 near Palominas School.

The five alleged assailants, all Mexican nationals, were apprehended more than three hours later when they tried to pass through the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Highway 90, according to Cochise County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Carol Capas.

She said the incident started around 7:30 p.m. when five men approached the young driver as he poured water into the radiator of his 1981 Oldsmobile Sierra.

Capas said the sheriff's report indicated that one of the assailants hit the man in the face. The group took his car keys and escaped in the vehicle, heading north on Highway 92.

Sheriff's deputies sent out a description of the stolen vehicle to the Border Patrol and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, according to Capas.

At approximately 11 p.m., the vehicle was spotted as the group tried to pass through the Border Patrol checkpoint north of Huachuca City.Agents called the Sheriff's Department, and deputies were dispatched to the checkpoint.

The five men in the car were interviewed in Spanish and admitted stealing the car, according to Capas.

All five were arrested and transported to the Sierra Vista substation where they are being held on charges of motor vehicle theft.

The five men arrested are Jose Reto Acosta-Heras, 24, Arturo Sarabia-Fragoso, 25, Luis Enrique Siquerios-Soto, 27, Jose Manuel Chavez-Quintero, 19, and Jose Marcelino Molina-Herra, 24.

Capas said the men may face additional charges of aggravated assault and theft once the Sheriff's Department investigation is completed.