Eleven people were arrested after a possible smuggling boat washed ashore near the Ocean Beach Pier on Dec. 18, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and U.S. Border Patrol.
Life vests and gas cans were found floating in the water nearby, authorities said.
Lifeguards found the boat, which authorities described as a panga — a type of small fishing boat often used to illegally transport migrants over the border from Mexico — on rocks along the coastline around 4 a.m.
Witnesses told lifeguards that up to 15 people were believed to be on the boat before it went ashore, Fire-Rescue said.
Border Patrol agents searched the area and arrested 11 people, San Diego Sector supervisor Maria Tavera told Fox-TV/5.
Witnesses also reported that a man slipped and fell while trying to get away. He was taken to a hospital with a broken leg, authorities said.
Border authorities seized the boat and are investigating the incident.
