2 Charged in Chicago After Federal Agents’ Vehicles Rammed

Two people were charged in federal court on Oct. 5 after a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent’s vehicle in Chicago was rammed, after which the agent opened fire, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Federal prosecutors charged Marimar Martinez, 30, and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, 21, with using their vehicles to assault, impede, and interfere with the duties of federal agents in the city, the DOJ stated.

The incident took place on Oct. 4 near the intersection of West 39th Street and South Kedzie Avenue in Chicago, where protests have erupted in recent days over federal immigration operations.

CBP agents were operating in Oak Lawn when multiple civilian vehicles began to “aggressively and erratically” pursue their vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.

Prosecutors said the civilian vehicles were violating traffic laws, including running red lights and stop signs, driving in the wrong lane, and going the wrong way on one-way streets.

At one point, the CBP agent drove his vehicle away from the pursuing civilian vehicles to divert them from other CBP cars, heading northbound on Kedzie Avenue in Chicago. Two other agents were in the vehicle.

The complaint states that as civilian vehicles continued to pursue the CBP vehicle, Martinez and Ruiz used their vehicles to strike it on both the driver’s and passenger’s sides, causing the CBP vehicle to temporarily lose control.

After being struck and boxed in by the vehicles allegedly driven by Martinez and Ruiz, the CBP agent stopped and exited the vehicle. Martinez allegedly drove away after the agent exited, prompting him to fire five shots at her from his service weapon.

Ruiz also allegedly drove away after the collisions by backing his vehicle into a parked car and making a U-turn. He eventually stopped at a gas station about a half block away, where he was later arrested, the complaint states.

Paramedics found Martinez’s vehicle at a repair shop about one mile northeast of the collision scene. She was transported by an ambulance to a hospital and treated for gunshot wounds, according to the complaint.

It is unclear whether Martinez and Ruiz have been assigned legal representation.

CBP Agent Fired Defensive Shots, DHS Says

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleged that Martinez was armed with a semi-automatic weapon and that the CBP agent fired shots in defense.

Martinez has since been discharged from the hospital and taken into custody by the FBI. The department stated that she has a history of doxxing federal agents.

“The scene became increasingly violent as more domestic terrorists gathered and began throwing smoke, gas, rocks, and bottles at DHS law enforcement,” the department said on Oct. 4.

The DHS stated that the vehicle driven by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents responding to the shooting scene was also rammed by another car, which allegedly tried to “run them off the road.” That driver has also been arrested.

Several CBP officers were taken to the hospital with various injuries following the incident, according to the department.

The DHS said that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem deployed “special operations teams” to the city after Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker refused to allow local police to assist federal agents in securing the scene.

“These attacks on our brave law enforcement officers must END,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated. “If you lay a hand on law enforcement, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Pritzker has opposed federal immigration enforcement in Chicago and accused federal agents of causing chaos in the community. During a press conference last week, the governor said that federal agents used tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and flashbangs against protesters exercising their First Amendment rights in Broadview, Illinois.

He also stated on Oct. 5 that President Donald Trump was ordering the deployment of 400 Texas National Guard members to Illinois, Oregon, and other states against the wishes of state officials.

“We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion,” Pritzker said. “There is no reason a President should send military troops into a sovereign state without their knowledge, consent, or cooperation.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

The immigration operation in Illinois resulted in more than 800 arrests as of Oct. 1, targeting illegal immigrants with criminal records, including gang members, murderers, and rapists, according to the DHS.