Injury call yields 21 possible illegal aliens

12/9/2002

Police investigating a call Saturday about an injured man found 21 people inside a house at 3248 Parkwod Avenue, many of them suspected of being undocumented immigrants.

A 911 caller unable to speak English telephoned for help about 10 p.m. When police arrived, nobody would answer the door but police looking in a window saw several people run upstairs and an unresponsive man lying on a couch.

Officers forced open the front door and discovered the man on the couch had a large cut on his head. He was taken to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center and told police later that he had slipped and fallen.

Hospital officials said they had no record of the injured man or a 16-year-old juvenile also transported to the hospital who police said was heavily intoxicated.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service was notified, police said.