SANDERSON — A U.S. Border Patrol agent assigned to the Sanderson Border Patrol station shot a 22-year-old male citizen of Guatemala at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, according to a Customs and Border Protection news release. The altercation occurred subsequent to the agent performing a vehicle stop on Highway 349 north of Dryden, Texas.
During the traffic stop, approximately 10 subjects exited the vehicle and fled. According to the release, one subject, the 22-year-old male citizen of Guatemala, attacked the agent. “The agent discharged his firearm resulting in a non-life threatening injury to the subject,” CBP states. “The agent sustained injuries from the encounter. Both the agent and subject were transported by EMS to local medical facilities.”
Big Bend Sector Special Operations Supervisor Daniel Bryant confirmed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection is providing information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Texas Department of Public Safety Rangers and Homeland Security Investigations as these agencies investigate the altercation.
The release said, “Per CBP policy, the agency will also conduct an internal investigation of the incident led by the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility.”
CBP did not respond by press time to a request for further information about the injuries both parties sustained, the nature of the Guatemalan national’s “attack” and whether the 22-year-old was armed.
They also did not confirm whether the Guatemalan national had been charged with illegal entry or any other charges relating to the Tuesday night incident.