Honduran Charged with Assaulting Border Patrol Agents in South Texas

A Honduran illegal immigrant is charged in federal court for allegedly assaulting Border Patrol agents after he crossed near Brownsville, Texas, on April 22. The man fought multiple Border Patrol agents as the attempted to arrest him for illegally crossing the border from Mexico.

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents working the river near Brownsville, Texas, on April 22 encountered a man who illegally crossed the border from Mexico, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court and published by the Brownsville Herald. As one of the agents attempted to apprehend the man he refused orders and attempted to flee from the agent.

The complaint filed by an FBI agent alleges that Henry Benitez-Cruz, a Honduran national, fled from the first Border Patrol agent until the agent grabbed him by the shirt collar and tried to arrest him. At that point, an altercation began and Benitez struck the first agent with his fists and forearms, the report states.

Benitez then allegedly grabbed the agent’s firearm and attempted several times to pull it upward in what investigators described as an attempt to unholster the sidearm. The agent alerted other agents by shouting, “He’s going for my gun!” the complaint states.

“Agent Gonzalez maintained a grip on Benitez with his left hand and managed to free Benitez’s grip from his firearm with his right hand,” the investigator said in the criminal complaint. “Benitez then struck Agent Gonzalez in the face with his forearm.”

The agent continued to protect his firearm and dragged Benitez to the river bank. He threw him to the ground and broke the illegal alien’s grip on his weapons.

A second agent joined in the attempt to subdue the illegal immigrant. The two agents wrestled Benitez to the ground and were able to place a handcuff on one of his wrists. Benitez continued to resist until a third agent arrived and subdued him.

The agents were only able to handcuff Benitez in front due to the level of resistance. The third agent pinned Benitez to the ground and lay on him until “Benitez calmed down enough to be escorted to a transport vehicle,” the complaint states.

Benitez is charged with assaulting a federal agent and immigration violations.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.