Venezuelan driver shot by ICE on September 20 charged with assault.
Wilber Rafael Garces-Perez, 28, faces assault charges over the September 20 incident, US Attorney Justin R. Federal prosecutors in Texas have charged a Venezuelan delivery driver who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last week, alleging that he tried to flee officers during an attempted arrest. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced on Tuesday.
Garces-Perez was shot in the back during the September 20 encounter and was later taken into federal immigration custody.
Garces-Perez initially provided his driving licence when officers stopped him, according to the complaint. Immigration lawyer Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said Garces-Perez was an asylum seeker and had a valid work permit. She said he missed an immigration court hearing after the notice was sent to a previous address, after which a judge issued the removal order.
He allegedly refused repeated requests to leave the vehicle but spoke in Spanish with an officer about moving and parking the car. The conversation was described in the court documents as pleasant and not aggressive. His lawyer has disputed the circumstances surrounding the shooting and has maintained that he entered the country legally.