Is it a DDOS attack if my ping goes to crap when chasing only one survivor?

I don't normally like accusing anyone of anything. But I live in the United States, and just had a game where I was matched with people who were clearly vpn'ing as their profiles indicated they were from Mexico. What was weird though was when chasing one particular person my ping would suddenly skyrocket. Is this a case of them using a vpn, or was this something more malicious?

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