ICE officers shoot man who drove at them in Anne Arundel County, police say
A man was shot after he attempted to run over an immigration officer with a van Wednesday morning in Anne Arundel County, according to police.
Officers responded around 11 a.m. to the 500 block of West Court in Glen Burnie for a shooting involving ICE officers, who were conducting a detail in the neighborhood.
As ICE officers approached a white van, the driver attempted to run them over, prompting the officers to shoot their weapons, striking the man, according to police. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Another person outside of the vehicle was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
"That vehicle accelerated, coming to rest behind me in a wooded area behind these homes," said Anne Arundel County Police spokesperson Justin Mulcahy. "There was an individual inside that vehicle who was struck by gunfire. That individual was transported to an area hospital."
ICE said the driver of the van was identified as Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, an undocumented immigrant from Portugal, and the passenger as Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador.
ICE told WJZ that Sousa-Martins ignored orders to turn off the engine, and then rammed the van into several ICE vehicles and appeared to have driven at officers before he was shot. The van crashed in between two buildings, which injured his passenger.
"This incident, which is still under investigation, comes as the extremist anti-ICE rhetoric and outright lies of politicians, the news media, activists, and violent agitators continue to fuel a more than 1,150% increase in assaults against ICE officers," ICE stated. "Our brave officers are risking their lives every day to keep American communities safe by arresting and removing illegal aliens from our streets. Continued efforts to encourage illegal aliens and violent agitators to actively resist ICE will only lead to more violent incidents, the extremist rhetoric must stop."
Anne Arundel County Police Criminal Investigations Division is handling the shooting investigation, while the FBI is investigating the assault on the ICE agents. ICE will also be conducting an internal investigation.
Community reaction
James Hicks told WJZ he was nearby house when he heard three gunshots, before he checked outside.
"I came walking up the street and a van came flying down the street, they say the van was coming from Walmart, ICE was following somebody," Hicks said. "The van tried to run the ICE guy over and the guy shot him. Like I said, he was trying to run the guy over so, I understand why he shot him. You shouldn't try anything like that."
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement, "as information surrounding the incident continues to emerge, we will remain in touch with local officials and are standing by to provide support for the community."