Two men from Irving, Texas were charged with violently assaulting a federal officer last month while trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a press release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Fox News reports.
The incident began after Juan Alfredo Crisencio Martinez, 20, and Jaythan Trevonne Phillips, 20, applied for admission into the United States at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo, a border town in south Texas. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer began to conduct an immigration inspection and asked them to exit the vehicle. They refused, according to the allegations.
The charges allege authorities swarmed the lane to arrest the two men. Martinez allegedly reached for the officer’s belt from inside the vehicle and opened the driver’s side door in order to prevent a responding officer from assisting, according to the allegations.
Martinez continued to resist, according to the allegations. Law enforcement allegedly had to deploy a Taser in order to subdue him.
Law enforcement agents allegedly had to physically carry Phillips to an inspection area. Martinez continued to resist and law enforcement allegedly had to deploy a Taser in order to subdue him.
The incident significantly impacted the port’s daily operation, because officers from passenger booths, secondary inspection and bus operations had to assist. Most of the travel lanes were closed until they could resolve the incident, according to the allegations. The bus traffic was allegedly backed up into the Mexico side of the bridge delaying dozens of passengers, ICE said.
A Laredo grand jury returned the indictment on Feb. 25 against both men and they may face up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine if convicted.