Two injured after ICE agents fire during Maryland arrest
Two people were injured in a suburb of Baltimore after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents fired at a vehicle whose driver was allegedly attempting to evade arrest, US authorities said.
The incident occurred on Wednesday in Glen Burnie, Maryland, when ICE agents tried to arrest two men from Portugal and El Salvador who were suspected of living in the United States without legal status, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
DHS said officers approached a white van and ordered the driver to turn off the engine. Instead, the driver allegedly refused to comply and drove into several ICE vehicles.
“Fearing for their lives and public safety, the ICE officers defensively fired their service weapons,” DHS said in a statement posted on social media. The driver was struck by gunfire and subsequently crashed the van between two buildings, injuring the passenger.
Both men were taken for medical treatment. No ICE agents were injured during the incident, authorities said.
Local police confirmed to ABC News that ICE agents reported the driver had attempted to run them over during the arrest attempt. After shots were fired, the vehicle accelerated before coming to a stop in a wooded residential area.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said he was aware of the ICE-involved shooting and that state officials were monitoring the situation as investigations continue.
DHS defended the agents’ actions, saying officers face daily risks while carrying out immigration enforcement operations. The agency also warned that encouraging resistance to ICE could lead to further violent incidents.
The shooting comes amid heightened enforcement activity and follows a similar incident earlier this week in Minnesota, where ICE agents fired shots at a man who allegedly attempted to ram law enforcement vehicles while resisting arrest, according to US media reports.
Both cases are under investigation as authorities review the circumstances surrounding the use of force.
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