Venezuelan national shot by ICE officer in Austin charged with assaulting federal officer
The Justice Department charged Wilber Rafael Garces-Perez with assaulting a federal officer after an Austin vehicle pursuit ended in an ICE shooting.
TL;DR
- Wilber Rafael Garces-Perez, a Venezuelan national, has been charged with assaulting, resisting, interfering with, and impeding a federal officer.
- The charges stem from an incident in Austin where Garces-Perez was shot by an ICE officer following a vehicle pursuit.
- Federal prosecutors allege Garces-Perez refused to exit his vehicle, sped away, and struck an officer with his side-view mirror.
- Garces-Perez claims ICE rammed his vehicle, causing a collision before the pursuit.
- One ICE officer's body camera was turned off during the incident; the officer who fired his weapon was not equipped with a body camera.
- Garces-Perez's attorney is seeking the release of body camera footage and is disputing the validity of his immigration removal order.