El Salvador Man Sentenced to Prison for Assault of Border Patrol Agent

El Salvador Man Sentenced to Prison for Assault of Border Patrol Agent

The following press release was published by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys on March 18, 2016. It is reproduced in full below.

TUCSON, Ariz. -Wilmer Noe Velasquez-Mejia, 35, from El Salvador, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge James A. Soto to serve 13 months in prison for assault of a federal officer. Velasquez-Mejia had previously pleaded guilty to this offense.

On Aug. 26, 2015, while illegally in the United States after having been deported on previous occasions, Velasquez-Mejia was attempting to break into occupied vehicles stopped at an intersection near Three Points, Ariz. The victim, a United States Border Patrol agent, responded to the intersection to assist. Upon seeing the Border Patrol agent, Velasquez-Mejia ran away and ignored his instructions to stop. The victim pursued Velasquez-Mejia, who repeatedly resisted and struggled with the victim and continued to run from him. At one point during the struggle Velasquez-Mejia charged at the victim and gestured as if he had a firearm concealed under his clothing, repeatedly challenging the victim to kill him. Velasquez-Mejia then jumped into a nearby car through an open window. The driver was able to force Velasquez-Mejia out of the car, at which point the victim was finally able to arrest Velasquez-Mejia.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the United States Border Patrol. The prosecution was handled by Angela W. Woolridge, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.

CASE NUMBER: CR-15-1712-TUC-JAS

RELEASE NUMBER: 2016-021_Velasquez-Mejia

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys

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