Texas Teens Kick Driver Out of Car at Gunpoint, Use Vehicle to Smuggle Migrants in Trunk: Officials

Two South Texas teens have pleaded guilty after they were caught at a U.S. border checkpoint with two people concealed in the trunk of a vehicle carjacked earlier that day.

In May, 18-year-old Christian Hardy and Jesus Rodriguez, 19, were stranded at a gas station after Hardy's vehicle broke down. They were meant to travel from Houston to a stash house in Rio Grande Valley, where they planned to pick up two undocumented migrants, according to a news release from Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney for the South District of Texas.

The car's mechanical trouble meant they "needed to steal a car," Rodriguez said.

The young men approached a man beside his vehicle at a gas station, Rodriguez asking to use his phone while Hardy climbed into the driver's seat.

Intent on stopping the theft, the victim "jumped into the passenger side, pushed Hardy out of the vehicle and managed to move into the driver seat," Hamdani said. "Rodriguez got into the passenger seat, pointed a firearm at the victim, and said the vehicle was not worth his life." Agreeing, the victim got out, and the perpetrators drove his vehicle to pick up the passengers they planned to smuggle into the U.S.

"Law enforcement at the checkpoint noticed the pair were acting nervously and referred them to a secondary inspect, which revealed the two migrants in the trunk," Lonestar Live reported. Following the arrest, authorities discovered a gun tucked into the waistband of Rodriguez's pants and soon identified the vehicle as stolen.

Rodriguez remains in police custody while Hardy is out on bond. Both await a Jan. 28 sentencing hearing. Both have pleaded guilty and face a maximum of 15 years in federal prison.