Coast Guard Fires Shots at Boat Operated by Suspected Human Smugglers Near San Diego

Crews boarded the boat and found eight illegal immigrants—six adults and two teenage boys—officials reported.

A Coast Guard cutter in San Diego on May 2, 2021. Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

A U.S. Coast Guard crew fired shots at a boat carrying illegal immigrants May 10 near Point Loma off Southern California after suspected human smugglers ignored verbal warnings, officials have confirmed.

The incident occurred at about 5:50 p.m. just off the coast about two miles south of Point Loma near San Diego, according to the Coast Guard.

Crews on watch at the Coast Guard Sector’s San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center reported seeing an 18-foot cuddy cabin vessel traveling at a high rate of speed north, according to the report.

The crew on watch kept visual contact with the boat using surveillance cameras as it entered San Diego Bay, the Coast Guard reported.

A Coast Guard boat crew, which was already on the water for a routine patrol, was directed to intercept the boat. After locating it, the crew attempted to establish communication with the vessel’s operator.

“After multiple unsuccessful attempts to compel the vessel to stop using verbal commands and warning shots, the crew employed disabling fire,” the Coast Guard reported Monday.

The crew fired four rounds into the boat’s engine, taking it out.

The Coast Guard crew then boarded the vessel and took control of it, officials said.

Eight illegal immigrants were aboard the ship, including five male adults and one female adult. Two boys ages 16 and 17 were also onboard, according to the Coast Guard.

All passengers were taken to Ballast Point and transferred to the Department of Homeland Security, officials reported.

The Coast Guard’s San Diego unit rescued three boats involved in human smuggling last weekend. The rescues resulted in the apprehension of 18 illegal immigrants, officials reported Tuesday.

A Coast Guard crew fired shots at the engine of this boat allegedly operated by human smugglers off Southern California on May 10, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard

“The Coast Guard remains vigilant in protecting life at sea as well as our maritime border,” the unit posted on X.

From May 4 to May 10, the unit also intercepted 11 vessels involved in illegal maritime smuggling that involved 37 illegal immigrants, according to the Coast Guard.

“It’s dangerous, illegal and could take your life,” the Coast Guard warned in a post Monday on X.

Border Patrol officers reported encounters with about 45,400 illegal immigrants since October in San Diego, according to the latest numbers.

The waters off San Diego have become a hot spot for human smugglers after President Donald Trump tightened border security this year.

Several illegal immigrants have been rescued after boats overturned near the bay.

In a May 5 incident, three people died and four were injured after the small boats they were in capsized off Del Mar, about 20 miles north of San Diego, the Coast Guard reported.