ICE agents shoot driver who allegedly tried to run them over Christmas Eve

Two people were injured when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents opened fire on a minivan whose driver allegedly tried to run them over during a police operation in Maryland on Christmas Eve, authorities said.

Anne Arundel County Police Department spokesman Justin Mulacahy said officers responded to West Court in Glen Burnie around 10:50 a.m. Wednesday on a report of a shooting involving ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents.

According to police, a preliminary investigation revealed that ICE agents were conducting a sting operation in the area when they approached a white van.

Police said the driver allegedly tried to run over the agents, causing ICE agents to open fire on the vehicle.

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The minibus then accelerated and stopped in the woods of a nearby residential area.

One person in the van was shot and transported to an area hospital, where he was in stable condition, Mulacahy said.

One person outside the minibus also suffered minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital.

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ICE agents opened fire on a van in Maryland after DHS said the driver tried to hit officers during a Christmas Eve enforcement operation, injuring two people and prompting multiple investigations. (DHS)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in X that agents identified the van driver as Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, an illegal alien from Portugal. The passenger was Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, an illegal alien from El Salvador.

Officers approached the van and told Sousa-Martins to turn off the engine, but he refused and tried to flee, according to DHS. Sousa-Martins also allegedly began ramming his vehicle into several ICE vehicles before driving the van into ICE agents.

“Fearing for their lives and public safety, ICE officers attacked the driver, firing their service weapons defensively,” DHS said. “Sousa-Martins then crashed his van between two buildings, injuring the passenger.”

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ICE agents opened fire on a van in Maryland after DHS said the driver tried to hit officers during a Christmas Eve enforcement operation, injuring two people and prompting multiple investigations. (DHS)

DHS added that agents provided medical assistance to both the driver and passenger before they were transported to the hospital for treatment.

“Our brave officers risk their lives every day to keep American communities safe by apprehending illegal aliens and removing them from our streets,” DHS said. “Continued efforts to encourage illegal aliens and violent agitators to actively resist ICE will only lead to more violent incidents; extremist rhetoric needs to end.”

The incident triggered at least three investigations. The Anne Arundel County Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division will investigate the attack, while the FBI will investigate the alleged assault on federal agents.

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ICE agents opened fire on a van in Maryland after DHS said the driver tried to hit officers during a Christmas Eve enforcement operation, injuring two people and prompting multiple investigations.

ICE will also conduct an internal investigation through its Office of Professional Responsibility.

Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad said multiple investigations are standard procedure in cases involving federal and local agencies and emphasized that her department was not involved in the shooting.

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“No Anne Arundel sources were involved in this incident and they were not available,” he said.

No further details are yet available as investigations continue.