Federal prosecutors dismiss charges against woman shot by Border Patrol agent in Chicago
CHICAGO (AP) — Federal prosecutors moved Thursday to dismiss charges against a woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent during a federal operation. immigration pressure inside chicago area.
Hours before the case’s status hearing, prosecutors moved to dismiss the charges against him Marimar MartínezThe deaths of Anthony Ruiz, 30, and Anthony Ruiz, 21, mark a dramatic reversal in one of the most closely watched cases linked to the crackdown in the nation’s third-largest city.
Department of Homeland Security identifies people protesting “Operation Midway Raid He vowed to prosecute them as violent rebels to the fullest extent of the law. But none of the more than two dozen people arrested for obstructing or assaulting federal officers or other protest-related crimes have been brought to trial, and charges against at least nine have been dropped. Judges expressed doubts about the strength of some cases.
Also Thursday, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss charges against Dana Briggs, a 70-year-old military veteran who was arrested last month during a protest outside a building. federal immigration facility in the suburb Wide ViewJust west of Chicago. Although prosecutors alleged that Briggs refused to move and struck a Border Patrol agent in the arm as the agent pushed the crowd back, other protesters and activists offered a contrasting narrative, saying an agent unprovoked pushed Briggs to the ground.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Martinez’s attorney, Christopher Parente, praised the U.S. attorney’s office “for doing the right thing here and dismissing the indictment.”
The U.S. attorney’s office and Ruiz’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prosecutors had accused Martinez and Ruiz of using their vehicles to attack and box Border Patrol agent Charles Exum’s vehicle on Chicago’s southwest side on Oct. 4. Exum then got out of his car and opened fire on Martinez, who was wounded seven times.
Exum allegedly boasted He was later briefed on his shooting skills, according to text messages presented as evidence at the Nov. 5 hearing.
“I shot him 5 times and he had 7 holes,” the text read. “Put this in your book, kids.”
Martinez and Ruiz were charged with assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, a vehicle. No officers were seriously injured.
Attorneys for Martinez and Ruiz repeatedly challenged the evidence and pushed for the case to move quickly to trial.
Parente claimed the body camera footage contradicted his account of the federal government’s actions. He said the Department of Homeland Security released “objectively false information” and claimed Exum was directing Martinez rather than directing him. He also accused federal officials of tampering with evidence when Exum was allowed to take the car, which Parente called “critical evidence” to Maine instead of keeping it in Chicago for examination.
Martinez and Ruiz were released pending trial after the judge stated that they had no prior criminal records.
Federal immigration agents in the Chicago area He was accused of using unnecessary forceincluding the use of chili balls, tear gas and other tactics against people protesting federal immigration policies and immigration detention. Aggressive tactics mobilized citizens reaction And lawsuits.
