U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani | U.S. Department of Justice
A 23-year-old man from San Benito, Texas, has been sentenced to federal prison for attempting to run over an FBI agent during an arrest attempt in a stolen vehicle. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Damian Evans Lopez had previously pleaded guilty on September 9 to assaulting a federal officer. U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera sentenced him to 110 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. The sentence was enhanced due to the use of a motor vehicle as a deadly weapon and reckless endangerment during flight, along with official victim adjustments. During the hearing, it was noted that Lopez had three prior felony convictions for evading arrest with motor vehicles.
The incident occurred on June 28 when an FBI agent was investigating stolen vehicles being exported illegally into Mexico. The agent identified a stolen Chevrolet truck near the Gateway International Bridge Port of Entry in Brownsville and called for assistance.
Wearing clear law enforcement markings, the agent approached the vehicle and asked Lopez to exit from the driver's seat. Instead of complying, Lopez turned the wheels and accelerated directly at the agent, who narrowly avoided serious injury or death.
Lopez was later apprehended in San Benito after a high-speed chase through Brownsville streets and onto the freeway, reaching speeds over 100 mph.
He remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Brownsville Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro prosecuting the case.
