FBI searching for man accused of injuring 3 ICE agents during North Texas traffic stop

Federal authorities are searching for a Honduran man accused of injuring three U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop in Lewisville, after prosecutors unsealed a federal indictment Thursday and asked the public for help locating him.

Prosecutors unsealed the indictment against 28-year-old Jerson Lopez-Sanchez, who is charged with three counts of assault of a federal agent and is currently not in custody. Authorities said Lopez-Sanchez is an undocumented immigrant.

According to an indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of Texas, federal immigration officers in three vehicles attempted a traffic stop on a white pickup truck that was driving on I-35 in Lewisville on Dec. 1. The truck pulled off the interstate onto South Stemmons Freeway near Vista Ridge Mall.

The driver of the pickup, who prosecutors identified as Lopez-Sanchez, initially stopped, then put his truck in reverse, hitting one of the ICE vehicles. An ICE agent had one leg outside of the vehicle and was injured, the release said.

Lopez-Sanchez then tried to drive off, but another ICE vehicle blocked his way. Prosecutors said he accelerated and rammed into the vehicle, injuring the two agents inside.

Lopez-Sanchez then allegedly led the third vehicle on a chase for about 10 minutes, then stopped on the median of East Valley Ridge Boulevard near East College Street in Lewisville. All five of the people inside the vehicle ran from the scene; three of them were captured, but not Lopez-Sanchez.

Prosecutors said one of the men who was arrested was Lopez-Sanchez's uncle, who identified him as the driver.

The Department of Justice is asking anyone with information about Lopez-Sanchez to report it to the FBI, and said they may be eligible for a reward. He is described as a 5'8" Hispanic man weighing 165 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Lopez-Sanchez faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the three charges.

Reward offered for fugitive sought after ICE vehicle rammed, agents injured

A damaged bumper and deployed airbags. Federal authorities showed one of the immigration vehicles that they said was rammed by Lopez-Sanchez, now on the run.

"It is a violent attack, and it will not be tolerated," said United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Jay Combs. "One of the agents had his leg hanging out the vehicle, just as he was getting ready to get out of the vehicle."

"You know, these are the individuals that disregard our authority or interfere or impede our actions," said Robert Cerna, the acting director of the ICE Field Office in Dallas. "I mean, there has to be a consequence."

While three people were detained that day, Lopez-Sánchez is still on the loose, leaving some wondering why this information wasn't given to the public sooner.

CBS News Texas asked why this information was being released now, and whether this release has anything to do with the administration's push to emphasize assaults on ICE officers.

"Well, there clearly are assaults on officers; this is an example, and it is happening," said Combs. "But the investigation into Lopez-Sánchez has been ongoing. The search for Lopez-Sánchez has been ongoing, and he has not been located yet. And we determined that now was the time to go public with his information in an effort to try and further this investigation."

"We believe he's still in the area, and we believe people know where he's at," said Jeremy Wright, the FBI Dallas assistant special agent in charge. "Really think through these situations because we don't want any of this. We don't want this to occur. We don't want anyone to be hurt, but we will take it very seriously and hold them accountable."