Laredo honors border agents who rescued shark bite victim on South Padre Island

McALLEN, Texas ( Border Report ) — Two Border Patrol agents and a swim coach were honored in their hometown of Laredo, Texas, this week for coming to the aid of a woman bitten by a shark in the Gulf of Mexico on July 4 in South Padre Island.

Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Jessie Villareal and Border Patrol Agent Jose Briseño, along with swim coach and lifeguard Ignacio de la Miyar, were given certificates of recognition by Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor Treviño on Wednesday for helping to save the life of Tabatha Sullivent.

The trio, who were vacationing on South Padre Island over the Fourth of July weekend, jumped to aid Sullivent after she was bitten in the calf by a shark close to shore. They made a tourniquet using the straps from a cooler and applied it to her leg.

“They made straps to assist and saved the life of another person,” Treviño said in presenting the certificates.

Earlier this month they were honored at a ceremony in El Paso for their “heroic efforts.”

Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jesse Muñoz was at City Hall for Wednesday’s ceremony. He said he was proud of his agents, who both serve in the Border Patrol’s BORSTAR unit, which specializes in search, trauma and rescue.

“I get to work alongside great men, like you two individuals that saved someone’s life,” he said. “The community is so supportive of what we do. Dr. Treviño, I really appreciate you recognizing these individuals. It means a lot to us. There’s a lot of Border Patrol agents who do this type of stuff every day and it goes unrecognized. So from the bottom of my heart, it means a lot that you took the time to recognize them.”

De la Miyar, who also works in international trade, told the Laredo Morning Times that the two agents stopped Sullivent’s bleeding.

Sullivent has spent several weeks hospitalized and is recovering from a bite to h er calf.

Three other people were also attacked by a shark that same day on South Padre Island, which is a popular vacation destination on the Gulf of Mexico near the Mexican border with South Texas.

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.

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