Passengers jump off possible smuggling boat after it comes ashore in La Jolla

A group of people believed to be entering the United States illegally the morning of Nov. 30 jumped off a boat in shallow water along the La Jolla coast near Spindrift Drive and ran away, officials said.

San Diego lifeguards saw a 20-foot boat dropping off what appeared to be eight people shortly before 8 a.m., according to city spokesman Jose Ysea. Lifeguards determined that everyone made it to shore, Ysea said.

The people who got off the boat ran past The Marine Room restaurant on Spindrift. CBS-TV/8 reported that at least three cars were waiting for the group.

The boat was towed away at about 11:40 a.m., Ysea said.

U.S. Border Patrol agents found 12 life jackets on the abandoned boat, which was seized by the agency’s Air and Marine Operations arm. No arrests were made and an investigation is continuing, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The incident came just days after two people drowned off the coast of Imperial Beach when a possible smuggling vessel capsized early Nov. 26. ◆