Story perspectives

Texas Prosecutors Charge Venezuelan Driver With Assaulting ICE Officer

By Drooid · Sep 30, 2026, 2:10 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. prosecutors in Texas charged Venezuelan driver Wilber Rafael Garces Perez with assaulting a federal officer.
An ICE officer shot Garces Perez in the back on Sept. 20, leaving a bullet near his spine.
Garces Perez alleges an ICE SUV rammed his car, causing a spin before the shooting.
He faces up to 20 years in prison, held in Pearsall, Texas, suffering bullet pain and a fractured clavicle.

History

Historical Context

In March 1991, LAPD officers brutally beat Rodney King, a video that sparked national outrage and led to a 1993 federal civil-rights trial and a 1994 jury award of $3.8 million to King. The case prompted the Justice Department to file federal civil-rights charges, a precedent cited as ICE agents in Pearsall, Texas face similar excessive-force accusations in 2024.

1 of 2

Story summary

U.S. prosecutors in Texas charged Venezuelan driver Wilber Rafael Garces Perez with assaulting a federal officer.
An ICE officer shot Garces Perez in the back on Sept. 20, leaving a bullet near his spine.
Garces Perez alleges an ICE SUV rammed his car, causing a spin before the shooting.
He faces up to 20 years in prison, held in Pearsall, Texas, suffering bullet pain and a fractured clavicle.

1 / 2