Man shot by ICE officers in Maryland on Christmas Eve faces federal charges

A man who was shot by immigration enforcement officials in Maryland on Christmas Eve is facing federal charges of resisting arrest, according to court documents obtained by WJZ.

Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins was shot as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were conducting a field operation in Anne Arundel County.

Shooting involving ICE officers

ICE officers spotted a white van, registered to Sousa-Martins, in the parking lot of a Lowe's Home Improvement store in Severn, according to documents. The officers followed the van to the 500 block in Glen Burnie when they attempted a traffic stop.

ICE officers blocked the van from taking off and approached the van before demanding the driver get out of the vehicle. According to documents, when the driver refused to get out of the van, the officers broke the window to try to get him out.

That's when prosecutors say Sousa-Martins then drove back, rammed into an officer's vehicle, and then drove forward towards other vehicles and officers.

Officers then fired shots, striking Sousa-Martins in the shoulder and thigh areas. The van then crashed in between two homes.

Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins

ICE says Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins is an undocumented immigrant from Portugal who came to the U.S. in 2008.  

He attended high school in New Jersey before moving to the Baltimore area in 2020.

According to court documents, he worked in several occupations, purchased a home and had taken steps to begin the process of becoming a U.S. citizen.

He had been doing electrical work at a home in Glen Burnie when he was approached by ICE officers.

Sousa-Martins said when he was stopped, someone shouted, "We've run your tags, we know you're an overstay, we're going to break the glass."  

Sousa-Martins was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.