U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents arrested 15 people who were on a panga that overturned and washed up on the .shorelines of Point Loma Monday morning.
San Diego Lifeguards first spotted the vessel maneuvering through the waters along Sunset Cliffs and called USBP for backup. When agents arrived, the small, white vessel was overturned near the sand.
SkyRanger 7 could see several people on the shore near the panga at around 8:15 a.m. Officials scoured the area by helicopter, boat, and jetski, looking to see if anyone associated with the panga was on the beach or in the water.
USBP said they found at least two people attempting to climb the cliffs. Another 13 people were stranded on the beach, surrounded by the rising tide. Lifeguards gathered the 13 individuals and transported them to USBP agents waiting in Point Loma.
Border Patrol said among the arrestees were 12 Mexican men, two Mexican women, and a Honduran man ranging in age from 19 to 57 years old.
They would be taken to a USBP center for processing for entering the country illegally, the agency said.
