A Honduran national who federal authorities say was unlawfully present in the United States allegedly climbed onto his truck and repeatedly swung a hammer at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during a traffic stop in New Jersey this month, federal prosecutors said.
Reinieri De Jesus Licona Amador, 27, was charged with assaulting federal officers and appeared Monday before U. S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Pascal in Camden federal court, according to the U. S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey.
"Federal officers put themselves in harm’s way to enforce the law and protect the public," U. S. Attorney Robert Frazer said in a statement.
"When an individual responds to a traffic stop by attacking an officer with a hammer, that conduct threatens not only the officer’s safety but the rule of law itself," he continued. "We will not allow violent attacks on federal officers to go unanswered and will hold those responsible accountable under the law."
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Federal prosecutors said the incident began during a targeted ICE operation in Gibbsboro, when officers ran a license plate check on a truck traveling through the area.
According to the criminal complaint, the vehicle was registered to Licona Amador, and a search of immigration records indicated he lacked lawful status in the United States.
Officers then activated their emergency lights and pulled over Licona Amador's truck, prosecutors said.
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According to the complaint, as officers approached the truck, they saw Licona Amador reach into a tool container in the back seat and pick up a hammer.
Prosecutors said officers ordered Licona Amador to stop moving, but he refused to comply, prompting them to open the vehicle door and attempt to remove him from the truck.
He allegedly pulled away from the officers and moved to the passenger side of the truck, where they again tried unsuccessfully to restrain him.
Licona Amador then climbed out of the passenger side of the truck while holding the hammer, ignoring officers' repeated commands, according to the complaint.
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He allegedly climbed onto the passenger-side door and repeatedly swung the hammer at officers, prosecutors said.
Officers then deployed oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray, commonly known as pepper spray, and wrestled Licona Amador to the ground, prosecutors said.
He was arrested without injury and faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250, 000 fine if convicted of assaulting federal officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon.