Venezuelan national shot by ICE officer in Austin charged with assaulting federal officer
A Venezuelan national who was shot by an ICE officer following a vehicle pursuit in Austin earlier this month has been charged with assaulting, resisting, interfering with and impeding a federal officer, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.Federal prosecutors allege that Wilber Rafael Garces-Perez, 28, refused ICE officers' commands to exit his vehicle during a targeted traffic stop before speeding away and striking one officer in the torso with his driver's side-view mirror.Garces-Perez faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted, according to DOJ.According to the complaint, officers first spotted Garces-Perez's vehicle outside a restaurant, ran its license plate and confirmed that an immigration judge had issued a final order of removal against him before initiating the stop.AUSTIN ICE SHOOTING SPARKS FIGHT OVER VENEZUELAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT'S DEPORTATIONA federal complaint states that one ICE officer turned off his body camera during a vehicle pursuit that later ended with a second officer shooting Wilber Rafael Garces-Perez.(Department of Justice)The accounts differ over whether the vehicles made contact as officers stopped Garces-Perez.
The officer told investigators there was no contact between the vehicles, while Garces-Perez claimed the ICE SUV's maneuver caused a collision before the officers approached him.During the encounter, Garces-Perez provided officers with his driver's license, according to the complaint.The officers described the initial encounter as "pleasant and not aggressive," according to the complaint.After officers instructed Garces-Perez to place the vehicle in park and step out, body camera footage shows him abruptly closing his window and driving away, according to the complaint.EXCLUSIVE: DHS SECRETARY MULLIN SLAMS SANCTUARY POLITICIANS AS ATTACKS ON ICE OFFICERS SKYROCKETWilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was shot as U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were trying to take him into custody in Austin, Texas.(Aust...