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ICE officer injured while making arrest in northwest Austin

15 Feb

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three suspects are now in custody after a disturbance in northwest Austin involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Friday morning.

The situation began as a traffic stop around 6:05 a.m. at US 183 and Woodland Village Drive. Austin police say an immigration officer pulled over a man for a traffic stop that resulted in the ICE officer calling Austin Police Department officers for assistance.

Interim Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley says initial 911 calls to the department indicated the ICE officer’s life could be in danger. “Comments made by the ICE agent [said that the] suspect was grabbing his gun or touching his gun.”

When the APD officers arrived at the scene, they also found two women with warrants out for their arrest, whom they apprehended. Investigators have not said how the suspects were connected.

“Both females had warrants for their arrests for open container—these were Class C offenses,” explains Manley.

A spokesperson for ICE released a statement stating the ICE officer was injured while he was arresting a “criminal alien.” The officer was treated and released from the hospital.

“This was a situation where ICE agents, federal agents, were here conducting an operation. They have full jurisdiction and they’re allowed to do that and they got in a circumstance where they needed help and we will always help a fellow officer especially when we’re receiving the reports we received today,” Manley says.

In a statement, Austin City Council Member Greg Casar said there has been a “large amount” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the North Lamar and Rundberg area in the last 24 hours.

“ICE actions like these are beyond reprehensible. They instill fear in the community, and they make everyday people fear for their lives,” said Casar.

ICE says they do not conduct random sweeps and that all ICE operations are based on investigative leads.

http://kxan.com/2017/02/10/disturbance-in-west-austin-during-immigration-arrest/