Man fleeing ICE officers in Florida is struck and killed by tractor-trailer, police say
Article excerpt
A 28-year-old man fleeing ICE agents in St. Augustine, Florida, darted across a busy road and was struck by a semi-truck, the third such death in a week.
A man who was fleeing from federal immigration agents in St. Augustine, Florida, was killed after being struck by a tractor-trailer while running from law enforcement, according to police.
The incident occurred around 7 a.m. when Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations officers stopped a vehicle with four occupants outside of a gas station and convenience store.
The four then fled on foot to escape police when one of the men, who was not identified by name but was 28, was struck by a tractor-trailer as he darted across State Road 16. The driver of the truck stopped and attempted to help the man. The incident occurred just miles from historic downtown St. Augustine.
The incident marks the third death in roughly a week resulting from an encounter with ICE officers after two other individuals were killed during interactions with officers from the agency in Maine and Texas.
In Biddeford, Maine, ICE agents fatally shot a 26-year-old Colombian national during a traffic stop after he allegedly drove his vehicle toward an ICE officer during the operation, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Sen. Angus King (I-ME) said the man shot was not the target of the traffic stop in which officers were executing a warrant.
In Houston, less than a week before the Maine shooting, an ICE officer shot and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo while federal police were conducting an immigration enforcement operation. Reports following the incident claimed Salgado Araujo was also not the target of the operation.
Body cameras were not worn in either shooting, with Republicans, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), blaming Democrats and the government shutdown for delaying their distribution.
A DHS official told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday morning that ICE officers and agents nationwide had been instructed to stop conducting vehicle stops, effective immediately.
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Following both incidents, DHS claimed the deceased were attempting to “weaponize” their vehicles against officers. The FBI is assisting in the investigation of both incidents.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the incident in Florida, which occurred in the busy corridor where SR-16 meets the on-and-off ramps connected to I-95.