Video from ICE agents shows chase amid Border Patrol operation in Charlotte
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Photo: Courtesy of WBTV
New video from ICE in Charlotte shows the moments federal agents rammed into someone's car and the discussions leading up to an arrest, our news partners at WBTV report.
Why it matters: The chase happened during the Border Patrol's "Charlotte's Web" operation earlier this week. It shows agents calling the pursuit "fun" and urging officers to ram a suspect's van.
Driving the news: Video shown in federal court on Thursday captured 24-year-old Miguel Angel Garcia Martinez driving into oncoming traffic as CBP and ICE agents chased him through Charlotte.
- At one point, an ICE agent shouted: "Hit him, guys! Why are you afraid of him? He's going to kill someone!"
Zoom in: Prosecutors struggled to convince a federal magistrate that Martinez intentionally assaulted federal agents — leading the judge to issue a $25,000 unsecured bond.
- None of the ICE or Border Patrol agents involved in the chase testified in court.
- Agents discussed ramming Martinez's van seconds before a brief collision that became the basis for the assault charge.
Context: Border Patrol agents were running an operation in Charlotte when they first encountered Martinez, who was taking photos of Border Patrol agents, according to the original affidavit.
- Two Border Patrol agents approached Martinez and told him to get out of his van. An agent grabbed the door handle, but Martinez drove off.
- ICE agents, assigned as a "quick response force" and backup to Border Patrol, were called in midway through the chase.
- Agents eventually boxed in Martinez's van and arrested him.
Testimony clarified that Border Patrol's order for Martinez to exit the van was "voluntary," and that agents intended only to ask him to leave the area.
- Martinez's attorney said fleeing wasn't wise, but questioned why the stop was initiated in the first place.
The intrigue: The primary witness for the U.S. attorney's office was an FBI special agent who wasn't involved in the case but heard about it from federal agents.
- If a judge doesn't think there's enough evidence for a criminal case like this to proceed, it could be dismissed.
- It's also not illegal for the public to photograph federal officers. Several volunteers have expressed concerns over similar intimidation tactics this week during operation "Charlotte's Web."
- A spokesperson for DHS did not respond to a request for comment.