Man hospitalized after exchanging gunfire with Border Patrol agents in Arizona, law enforcement officials say
A man was hospitalized after allegedly exchanging gunfire with Border Patrol agents in Arizona on Tuesday, according to the FBI and a law enforcement source.
Border Patrol agents attempted to stop a pickup truck near the town of Arivaca at about 7:20 a.m. local time Tuesday, a law enforcement source told CBS News. Once stopped, the driver ran away and allegedly shot at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter and Border Patrol agents on the ground, according to the source.
Border Patrol agents returned fire, striking the man, according to the source. It's unclear how many times he was shot, and his condition wasn't immediately clear.
An FBI spokesperson told CBS News the agency is investigating "an alleged assault on a federal officer" near the town of Arivaca, and that the person was taken into custody.
The driver, who was only identified as a U.S. citizen, was carrying at least one firearm, the law enforcement source said.
The driver allegedly has a history of human smuggling, specifically people who are in the country illegally, and was the target of the Border Patrol operation, the source said.
The FBI is leading the federal investigation with assistance from the CBP and the Pima County Sheriff's Department. CBP has also launched an internal Office of Professional Responsibility investigation, which is standard protocol following a shooting involving its agents.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department said earlier on social media it was responding to the shooting in Arivaca, an unincorporated community about 60 miles south of Tucson, close to the U.S.-Mexico border.
"We are working in coordination with the FBI Phoenix-Tucson office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection," the sheriff's department said on social media, providing no further information.
The shooting comes on the heels of the controversial Border Patrol shooting in Minneapolis, where agents fatally shot Alex Pretti on Saturday. Videos showing the shooting do not line up with the events as described by several federal officials, including Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.