Latest news with #NancyE.Larson
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
10 people charged for ‘organized attack' on ICE agents, cop after military-style ambush: DOJ
Ten members of an armed mob accused of attacking an ICE detention center on July 4th have been charged by the Department of Justice with attempted murder. The assailants allegedly donned military-style gear, including tactical vests, and launched fireworks at the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas before spraying bullets at a local cop and unarmed federal agents, according to the criminal complaint filed on Monday. One suspect unloaded 20 to 30 rounds at two detention center workers, prosecutors said, and a police officer for the town of Alvarado took a gunshot to the neck area. The injured officer was flown from the scene to a hospital and was released after treatment, Alvarado cops said. The ten suspects each face three counts of attempted murder and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. The crew allegedly staged their 'organized attack' near a wooded area outside the facility; they launched salvos of fireworks and spray-painted cars parked at the building, the complaint claims. 5 Mugshots of ten individuals charged with attempted murder of federal agents. Johnson County Sheriff⿿s Office 5 The Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. AP 5 Body armor and assault rifle magazines allegedly in possession of the suspects. Johnson County Sheriffâs Office When the cop – responding to a 911 call from detention center personnel – arrived at the scene, one opened fire on him from the nearby woods, hitting him once. Meanwhile, another suspect allegedly unloaded 20 to 30 rounds on two unarmed federal agents who had left the building. The attackers fled the scene, allegedly leaving assault rifles and loaded magazines behind. Several of them were armed, wearing body armor, and had two-way radios when Johnson County sheriff's deputies and other law enforcement personnel finally rounded them up, authorities said. Officers found cans of spray paint and flyers stating, 'FIGHT ICE TERROR WITH CLASS WAR!' and 'FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS,' and a flag stating, 'RESIST FACISM – FIGHT OLIGARCHY' in the suspects' possession or in their vehicles, the department said. Photos released with the court complaint show 'traitor' and 'ice pig' spray-painted on official vehicles. 'Make no mistake, this was not a peaceful protest,' said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson. 'This increasing trend of violence against law enforcement will not be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas.' 5 Graffiti on a car parked at the Prarieland Detention Center. Johnson County Sheriffâs Office 5 Another car plastered with anti-ICE graffiti during the attack. Johnson County Sheriffâs Office The 'increasing trend' includes a separate incident in Oregon on the same day, when demonstrators clashed with federal officers at the Portland ICE facility after President Trump signed his 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' into law. 'We are closely monitoring the attacks on DHS detention facilities in Prairieland, TX, and Portland, OR, and are coordinating with the [US Attorney offices] and our law enforcement partners,' said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on X. The ten individuals charged for the Texas attack are Cameron Arnold, Savannah Batten, Nathan Baumann, Zachary Evetts, Joy Gibson, Bradford Morris, Maricela Rueda, Seth Sikes, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Fireworks and AR-15s used in July 4 ambush on ICE agents, leading to 10 arrests
A group of at least 10 people attacked an ICE detainment facility in Texas, leaving one cop with a gunshot wound to the neck. Newly unveiled court filings reveal what went into the attack. Ten people have been charged in connection with a coordinated attack on a U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) facility in Texas that left a police officer with a gunshot wound to the neck, Justice Department officials announced July 8. The group launched the attack on the Prairieland Detention Center outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth area on July 4, according to federal court filings. They dressed in "black military-style clothing" and started by launching fireworks at the facility, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Attackers came wearing body armor, two-way radios and AR-style rifles, prosecutors said. They fired dozens of rounds at the facility and left after covering buildings and cars with graffiti slogans including "traitor" and "ICE Pig." "Make no mistake, this was not a peaceful protest," said Nancy E. Larson, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas where the case was filed. "This was an ambush on federal and local law enforcement officers. This increasing trend of violence against law enforcement will not be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas." The Independence Day attack near Alvarado, Texas comes amid a 700% increase in assaults on immigration agents, according to White House officials. Recent attacks include an accused Tren de Aragua gang member throwing a female ICE agent to the ground and choking her in Nebraska, according to court documents. Attacks on immigration officials also come as President Donald Trump ramps up a mass deportation campaign that has seen masked agents leave suspects terrified around the country. Administration officials say bold tactics are needed to repel what they call an "invasion" of immigrants. An Alvarado Police Department officer was shot in the neck in the attack and flown to a nearby hospital, said the city's police chief Teddy May. He is "recovering nicely," said May, adding he was grateful no one else was hurt. "Sometimes we get lucky and we'll take it," the top cop told USA TODAY. "When you hear someone was treated and released, you can think it must not have been much but I will tell you that was far from the case— that was a substantial wound he received and he was lucky that he could get it taken care of so quickly." The 10 accused in the attack near Alvarado, Texas are: Cameron Arnold; Savannah Batten; Nathan Baumann; Zachary Evetts; Joy Gibson; Bradford Morris; Maricela Rueda; Seth Sikes; Elizabeth Soto; and Ines Soto. They are all Texas residents, court filings show. Charges against them are three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of using a firearm in committing a violent crime. Attorneys for the group could not be reached. An attack on Independence Day The attack started at around 10:30 p.m. and ended with attackers firing around 30 rounds at the Alvarado officer called to respond to the scene and two officers working at the federal facility, court filings say. They began by firing fireworks at the facility and spray painting graffiti on at least one building connected to the facility and two cars, according to a federal complaint. Investigators found multiple AR-style rifles on the attackers, two-way radios and a dozen sets of body armor. Authorities believe there were 12 attackers. Alvarado police chief May declined to comment on the investigation into additional assailants. Morris, one of 10 arrested, told police he met the group online and agreed to drive some from Dallas to "make some noise" at the facility, according to the Justice Department. Police also found fliers on the group reading "Fight ICE terror with class war" and "Free all political prisoners," authorities said. They also found a device used to block cell phone signals known as a Faraday bag. The device is "commonly used by criminal actors to try to prevent law enforcement from tracking location information," court documents say. A Federal Bureau of Investigation search of one of the attackers' apartments uncovered "anti-government propaganda," authorities said. Among the fliers was one titled "Organizing for attack! Insurrection anarchy." "Violence, threats of violence, and attempts of vandalism at our ICE Facilities will not deter our officers at ICE from fulfilling their duties," said Josh Johnson, a director at the immigration agency's Dallas office. "This type of vigilante lawlessness is emblematic of the dangers federal, state, and local law enforcement officials face every day." What to know about the facility? The facility at the center of the attack is located about 40 miles southwest of Dallas and is among the Department of Homeland Security's newest, according to Chavez & Valko, an immigration law firm based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It is one of four immigration detainment facilities in Texas and was built to house over 700 detainees, according to a fact sheet published by the law firm. Immigration officials did not respond to requests to comment. An unprecedented spike in violence The Fourth of July attack in Texas comes as White House officials say there's been a 700% increase in assaults on immigration agents. Administration officials declined to answer USA TODAY's questions about the numbers underlying the increase, including the number of injuries and their severity. However, DHS told FOX News there have been 79 agent assaults since Trump took office, through June 30, compared with 10 assaults during the same period a year ago. Many of the attacks have happened as immigration authorities deploy new tactics to carry out the president's sweeping mass deportation plan, including masked agents detaining people outside Home Depot and immigrants showing up for mandatory court appointments. Policing experts say the aggressive approach is provoking unnecessarily dangerous encounters. Bystander videos have captured agents wrestling suspects to the ground on crowded streets and chasing them through farm fields. One widely circulated video showed an agent grabbing a U.S. citizen by the neck in a Walmart parking lot as he resisted being taken; federal prosecutors charged the man with assault after he allegedly punched an agent. Trump, who has promised to deport 1 million immigrants this year, ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents "to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest mass deportation program in history." Mounting resistance to ICE agents But there's growing pushback from the public. Recent immigration sweeps in the Los Angeles area sparked widespread protests and small riots downtown, as people threw rocks at law enforcement and set patrol vehicles on fire, and federal agents responded with tear gas and pepper spray. In some cases, federal agents are getting into shoving matches with crowds trying to film or stop what they consider to be overzealous detentions, especially when the masked agents refuse to identify themselves. "The aggressive police tactics being employed by the federal government are causing the issue," said longtime police supervisor Diane Goldstein, who now directs the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, which has spent decades working to develop trust between the public and police. She added: "Their direction and their leadership is directly putting them in a horrific situation." Contributing: Lauren Villagran and Trevor Hughes
NBC News
7 days ago
- NBC News
10 charged after ambush at Texas ICE detention center
The Department of Justice filed a criminal complaint on Monday against 10 people who allegedly "organized an ambush" at an ICE detention center in Texas on the Fourth of July. Each individual has been charged with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime, according to the complaint. The incident took place on Friday outside of the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, which houses detained migrants. At approximately 10:37 p.m., a group of ten to twelve people, wearing all black, allegedly shot fireworks towards the center and vandalized vehicles and the facility, which included spray painting "ICE PIG" on a car, the complaint read. "Make no mistake, this was not a peaceful protest," said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson in a statement. "This was an ambush on federal and local law enforcement officers." "Those who use violence against law enforcement officers will be found and prosecuted using the toughest criminal statutes and penalties available," Larson said. Shortly after, an Alvarado police officer arrived at the detention center in response to a 911 call and was shot in the neck by one of the individuals. Another assailant shot approximately 20 to 30 rounds at the unarmed correctional officers who were also present, according to the complaint. The individuals fled the scene but were later apprehended, including Bradford Morris, who was taken into custody during a traffic stop. When Morris was detained, an officer discovered multiple firearms, including two AR-15-style rifles, ballistic vests, and a helmet in Morris's car, the complaint states. "Morris admitted that he had been at the Prairieland Detention Center and claimed that he met some people online and transported some of them down from Dallas to the Prairieland Detention Center to 'make some noise," court records showed. Authorities later detained the other defendants, who were dressed in black, military-style clothing, on foot, the complaint states. Additional firearms, magazines containing ammunition, radios, and 12 sets of body armor were allegedly found during a search of vehicles and the assailants. One of the individuals had a backpack containing spray paint and flyers that said "Fight ICE terror with class war" and "Free all political prisoners," the complaint states. 'Violence, threats of violence, and attempts of vandalism at our ICE Facilities will not deter our officers at ICE from fulfilling their duties, said Josh Johnson, acting ERO Dallas field office director. Johnson added, "This type of vigilante lawlessness is emblematic of the dangers federal, state, and local law enforcement officials face every day." No employees at the Prairieland Detention Center were harmed during the incident. The officer who was shot in the neck has been treated and has since been released from the hospital, the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed to NBC News.
