Two U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers fired at an adult male Tuesday when he attempted to run them over with a pick-up truck at the Mariposa Port of Entry.

Felt threatened

Brian Levin, public affairs officer, said the officers fired because they feared for their lives.

Nogales Police Chief John Kissinger, said the incident happened shortly after 4 p.m. as the driver of the pick-up truck attempted to enter the United States.

The person driving a vehicle was asked to pull in for inspection. He refused to stop and attempted to hit the officers as he crossed over to the southbound lanes and fled back into Mexico, Kissinger said.

No injuries were reported and the officers were not hurt, Levin said. He added that the incident did not affect the public. CBP did not shut down the port or stop traffic.

Levin said the port was not closed during the shooting, "Because it all happened within the space of a very short time and was in an area where the public was not at risk," he said. The shooting was in the southbound lanes.

The Nogales Police Department is the lead agency investigating the incident with cooperation from CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Nogales Police Lt. Heriberto Zuniga said officers believe the man have been attempting to smuggle drugs.

"There was one person in the vehicle, an adult male," Zuniga said. "He was driving a gray Dodge pick-up truck ... he was detained across the line by Mexican officials. Although we don't have the man's name yet, I'm assuming the Mexican police do.

"I can tell you they have the car, so I'm assuming they know who the driver is. Once we know who he is, we'll push it through the court system and try to get a warrant for his arrest. We're working in conjunction with" Mexican authorities on the case.

When asked if the CBP agents were justified in shooting, Zuniga said, "It's premature to make that decision, we won't draw any conclusions until after the investigation has been completed."