Man shot by ICE agent in Texas charged with assault

Key Points:

• Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan man shot in the back by a US ICE agent during a traffic stop in Austin, Texas, has been charged with assaulting a federal officer by allegedly sideswiping the officer with his car while trying to flee.
• The 28-year-old faces one count of assaulting, resisting, and impeding a federal officer, carrying a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
• The incident began when ICE stopped Garces Perez after confirming his vehicle registration and his final order of removal from the US; he reportedly refused to exit his car and drove away, striking the officer with his side-view mirror.
• A high-speed chase ensued through commercial and residential areas, ending when a federal agent's SUV collided with Garces Perez's car, causing it to spin and prompting an officer to fire a shot that struck Garces Perez in the upper back.
• Garces Perez's lawyers state the bullet remains lodged in his back, placing him in grave danger, while the justice department maintains the officer fired in response to being struck by the vehicle.