ICE agents open fire on undocumented man during Maryland arrest operation

Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised

GLEN BURNIE, MARYLAND: An undocumented man was shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Wednesday, December 24, during an arrest operation in Glen Burnie, Maryland, after officers alleged that he attempted to run them over while trying to flee.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE officers opened fire after the driver of a van drove directly toward them during a traffic stop.

The driver, identified as Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, was hospitalized with gunshot wounds, while a passenger, Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, was injured in the incident. Both men are in stable condition and expected to recover, officials said.

DHS says the van was used as a weapon

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said officers had instructed Sousa-Martins to turn off the engine, but he refused and attempted to escape.

“He then drove his van directly at ICE officers, attempting to run them over,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Fearing for their lives and public safety, the ICE officers defensively fired their service weapons, striking the driver.”

McLaughlin added that Sousa-Martins continued fleeing and rammed his van into ICE vehicles after crashing between two buildings, an impact that she said caused injuries to the passenger.

Conflicting accounts over crash details

Photos released by DHS show the van crashed into a tree rather than a building. Authorities have not yet clarified the discrepancy between the photographic evidence and the agency’s account of the crash.

Anne Arundel County Police spokesman Justin Mulcahy confirmed the shooting at a news conference, saying that the van “attempted to run agents over.”

He added that local police officers were not involved in the incident.

DHS also revealed that Sousa-Martins entered the United States from Portugal on a visa in December 2008 and overstayed after it expired in February 2009.

The agency identified Serrano-Esquivel as a national of El Salvador but did not release further details about his immigration history.

The Maryland incident is the second shooting involving ICE agents this week.

On Monday, agents fired what they described as “defensive shots” at an undocumented Cuban immigrant in St Paul, Minnesota, after officials said he struck two officers with his vehicle while attempting to flee. The individual was reportedly not hit by gunfire.