Officer Recounts Antifa Attack

DALLAS—Police and detention officers testifying in the North Texas Antifa trial gave eye-witness accounts of the nighttime attack on an immigration holding facility that left one officer shot in the neck and others fearing for their lives.

The government witnesses wrapped up their testimony on the third day of the Fort Worth trial surrounding a violent attack the federal government alleges was coordinated by Antifa on the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas on July 4, 2025.

Members of Antifa, short for anti-fascists, have not faced terrorism related charges in the United States until now, despite being involved in organized protests across the country that have at times turned violent.

Alvarado police Lt. Thomas Gross, who was shot after responding to a 911 call to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, testified that he saw a guard chasing a person dressed in black with a face covering.

Gross said he got out of his vehicle and saw another person dressed in black carrying a rifle.

Loud noises and shouting could be heard during a recording from the police officer’s vehicle after he got out, including someone yelling twice: “Get to the rifles.”

After leaving the building, detention supervisor Cindy Harp said she heard someone with a bullhorn speaking in Spanish. Then she heard someone tell her she should be proud of herself for working at a detention facility.

Harp told the intruders—who were all dressed in black and wearing masks—they were on private property and needed to leave. She and Officer Dekeithan Reedy were both unarmed.

“I was in shock, and I’m kind of nervous because nobody’s supposed to be there,” she testified. She and the other detention officer started running toward the parking lot after hearing loud popping noises. 

They saw a police car headed their way and noticed two people in black. The other detention officer yelled at the officer as he pulled up, pointing to the figures in black, she said.

Almost immediately after the police officer got out of the vehicle, gunfire erupted, she said.

With her voice breaking, she described an assailant shooting the police officer, who she heard say, “Oh, God.”

“I was in fear of my life. I thought I was fixing to die,” she testified.

During opening arguments on Feb. 24, Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith told the jury that defendant Benjamin Song shot 11 times at police and detention officers until his rifle jammed.

Andrew Arthur, a Center for Immigration Studies fellow in law and public policy, said proving the defendants are members of Antifa could prove difficult. One way would be to show communications, such as text messages, between members concerning Antifa, he said.

“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist,” Arthur added. “You know, the same thing can be said about Antifa. Terrorist organizations don’t generally give out ID cards or issue uniforms.” 

Ku Klux Klan, the Weather Underground, and the Symbionese Liberation Army are all examples of loosely organized groups, he said.

The alleged Antifa cell, which wore “black bloc” attire—dark clothing and face coverings, had more than 50 firearms, including AR-15-style rifles that had been modified to shoot in rapid bursts, according to authorities.

They used an encrypted messaging app and monikers in group chats to hide their identities, according to the indictment.

The alleged Antifa members called the plan a “noise protest” to show solidarity with illegal immigrants inside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, according to the criminal complaint.

Cameron Arnold (also known as Autumn Hill), Zachary Evetts, Bradford Morris (also known as Meagan Morris), Maricela Rueda, and Song face the most serious charges of attempted murder, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, in addition to providing material support to terrorists.

Other defendants facing lesser charges include Savanna Batten, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto, and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada.

All have pleaded not guilty.

Defense attorneys attempted to distance their clients from the shooting, with several saying their clients weren’t present when it occurred. They have painted the incident as a political protest.

Attorney Christopher Tolbert, who represents defendant Savanna Batten, added: “In America, we don’t prosecute our citizens for their political beliefs.”

Five individuals pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges on Nov. 19 for supporting Antifa members in the July shooting. Several are expected to testify for the prosecution.

Department of Justice witnesses are expected to include local and federal officers, forensic experts, and counterterrorism expert Kyle Shideler, senior analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy.

Defendants are expected to call more than a dozen witnesses, including several professors who are likely to downplay Antifa tactics and ties to terrorism while portraying the government as overreaching its authority to shut down political protests.

Darlene McCormack Sanchez; Kimberly Hayek; Stacy Robinson

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—Stacy Robinson