Thread: Border Patrol Agent Found Seriously Injured on Side of Roadway after Attack

by BRANDON DARBY
10 Jun 2017
2,030 comments

An off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent was discovered on the side of a roadway with serious injuries to his head, chest, and hands, according to officials. The Border Patrol agent appears to have been ruthlessly attacked. Sources first alerted Breitbart Texas to the incident and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed many of the details on the matter. The Border Patrol agent is assigned to the Deming, New Mexico, Border Patrol Station which is in the El Paso Sector.

According to CBP:

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is assisting in the investigation of a report of an assault against an off-duty Border Patrol agent assigned to the Deming, New Mexico, Border Patrol Station. The agent was discovered on the side of the road by a motorist at 11 p.m. MDT. The agent suffered multiple, serious injuries to his head, chest and hands. Emergency Medical Services transported the agent to a nearby hospital where he is being treated for his wounds. The agent is in stable condition. CBP is working closely with the FBI, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, and the El Paso Police Department on the ongoing investigation. CBP has informed its workforce of this report and has reminded its law enforcement personnel to be alert and aware of their surroundings and potential threats related to their service.”

The region immediately south of the border in the area is controlled by the Juarez Cartel and their enforcers, La Linea. They operate in the El Paso Sector and are known to abduct individuals and administer torture techniques.

The fact that the FBI is investigating the matter, rather than just local law enforcement agencies, would indicate that the attack on the Border Patrol agent is due to his employment as a law enforcement officer with the U.S. government.

Also, the warning issued by CBP to Border Patrol agents indicates that the violent attack was related to the agent’s employment as a law enforcement officer with the U.S. government. The warning shows that CBP feels this attack indicates possible risks to additional agents along the U.S.-Mexico border.

CBP did not alert the public or other Border Patrol agents until after the agency was contacted by Breitbart Texas. Only after CBP was contacted, did they hurry and publish a statement. A spokesman for CBP contradicts this assertion and claims that they internally notified agents, not the public, prior to being contacted by Breitbart Texas.


Brandon Darby ✔ @brandondarby
Important to note: @CustomsBorder did NOT issue warning to agents until AFTER I contacted them for comment. https://twitter.com/brandondarby/sta...17273168306177 …
12:15 PM - 10 Jun 2017


http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/...oadway-attack/

by BRANDON DARBY
10 Jun 2017
1,041 comments

A leaked official document from the El Paso Sector Intelligence and Operations Center reveals that the injured off-duty Border Patrol agent who was discovered on the side of a roadway on June 9, 2017, is believed to have been kidnapped prior to sustaining severe injuries to his “head, chest, and hands.” Breitbart Texas exclusively obtained the document from a trusted source operating under the umbrella of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Due to sensitive information present in the document, Breitbart Texas will not identify the type of document nor most of the information contained within the document at this time. The document does specifically identify that a Border Patrol agent was kidnapped and assaulted. The document also asserts that the FBI in El Paso, Texas, is leading the investigation. The document also warns law enforcement agents. It asserts, “Agents are advised to remain vigilant and maintain a heightened level of awareness.”

A statement received on the matter from CBP stated:

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is assisting in the investigation of a report of an assault against an off-duty Border Patrol agent assigned to the Deming, New Mexico, Border Patrol Station. The agent was discovered on the side of the road by a motorist at 11 p.m. MDT. The agent suffered multiple, serious injuries to his head, chest and hands. Emergency Medical Services transported the agent to a nearby hospital where he is being treated for his wounds. The agent is in stable condition. CBP is working closely with the FBI, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, and the El Paso Police Department on the ongoing investigation. CBP has informed its workforce of this report and has reminded its law enforcement personnel to be alert and aware of their surroundings and potential threats related to their service.”

The CBP statement avoided any mention of kidnapping, as withholding politically-inconvenient information from the public is customary for CBP.

Breitbart Texas broke the story that the Border Patrol agent had been found on the side of a roadway with severe injuries.

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/...-patrol-agent/

Thank you Breitbart for breaking this important story. This is dangerous work and we need to think about all of our law enforcement officers and pray for their safety.

FBI’s Suspect in Kidnapping of Border Agent is Cartel-connected, Deported 3 Times Prior



by BRANDON DARBY & ILDEFONSO ORTIZ
13 Jun 2017

The FBI is searching for a suspect in the matter of a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was found severely injured on the side of an El Paso Sector roadway after having been kidnapped. A leaked official document and a variety of sources reveal the name and birth date of the suspect and two images of the man. Sources operating under the umbrella of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reveal the man is believed to have been deported three times prior, each time being allowed to leave the U.S. voluntarily without legal consequences. The suspect is also believed by sources to have connections with the Juarez Cartel, or its enforcement arm, La Linea.

The suspect is pictured above posing with a firearm and also in a separate image below.



A BOLO was issued to federal agents along the border revealing:

(U) Sergio Ivan Quinonez-Venegas is wanted for questioning in connection with the kidnapping and assault of an off-duty Border Patrol agent that occurred on the evening of June 9, 2017.

(U) Quinonez’ date of birth is 01/25/1984. Quinonez has a possible criminal history of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The BOLO continues further with the names of the FBI special agents leading the investigation, where the document was prepared, and contact information for those parties. The two images provided were also included in the BOLO released to federal agents. Such information was redacted by Breitbart Texas, but the remainder of the BOLO is provided below.



It is important to note that the suspect’s alleged connections to a Mexico-based criminal group do not mean that the cartel sanctioned the kidnapping or assault. The fact that a suspect was so quickly identified lends to the idea that the victimized Border Patrol agent was possibly able to provide the identity of his alleged captor — a possibility that raises concerns in itself. It is also important to note that such a personal attack on a U.S. federal agent would be out of character for Mexico-based criminal groups. In such cases, it is usually a criminal acting on their own. In these cases, the criminal usually flees back to Mexico and the dominant cartel in the region usually murders the suspect for inviting “heat” or an increased U.S. law enforcement presence, as the death of the suspect is the cartel’s only chance at keeping their trafficking corridor open.

Rumors have swirled among Border Patrol agents in the absence of officially-provided information. Some agents said that the kidnapped agent’s fingers were cut off. Some have claimed four fingers were removed. Others said two fingers were cut off at the first knuckle. Breitbart Texas has been unable to confirm the specifics of the serious wounds to the agent’s hand(s). The only confirmed information of the agent’s injuries came from an official CBP statement that stated “severe injuries” to the agent’s “head, chest, and hands.”

Breitbart Texas first broke the news of the kidnapping and then broke the news that the FBI was leading the investigation; however, we initially decided against publishing the FBI’s suspect’s identity or even that the agency had identified a suspect. We did so out of concern that we might damage the investigation or otherwise present some risk to the lives of special agents investigating the matter. In balancing all concerns, we provided a 48-hour window without revealing more information.

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/...3-times-prior/

Kidnapped Border Patrol Agent Was Hacked with Machete, Suspects Caught
Getty Images/Oliver Morris

by BRANDON DARBY & ILDEFONSO ORTIZ
19 Jun 2017

Suspects in the kidnapping and attack of a U.S. Border Patrol agent have been captured and an official statement from authorities reveals that the agent was hacked with a machete. Breitbart Texas first reported on the issue and first reported the identity of one of the suspects. In this case, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) first tried to keep the matter from the public and then downplayed aspects of the attack.

The first report on the June 9, 2017, kidnapping and attack, “Border Patrol Agent Found injured on Side of Roadway after Attack,” revealed that the issue had occurred and that CBP had not prioritized alerting the public or other Border Patrol agents.

The second report, “Border Patrol Agent was Kidnapped, FBI Leads Investigation,” relied on Breitbart Texas sources who had provided the actual BOLO (Be On Lookout) that was sent to law enforcement officers and agents on the matter.

The third report, “FBI’s Suspect in Kidnapping of Border Agent is Cartel-connected, Deported 3 Times Prior,” revealed all of the details of the BOLO, named the suspect, and source claims that the listed suspect had been deported three times prior to the attack.

The recently released official statement directly confirms most of the information Breitbart sources provided. Other aspects, such as the immigration status of one of the suspects, is left unconfirmed by authorities though implied in the fact that one of the suspects’ residences is mentioned and the alleged illegal immigrant’s place of residence is omitted. The official statement from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department is provided in full below:

TWO MEN SUSPECTED IN ATTACK OF OFF-DUTY AGENT IN CUSTODY

Two men accused in the brutal attack of an off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent on June 9 are in custody.

On Tuesday, FBI agents in the El Paso Sector, with the assistance of Doña Ana County Sheriff’s detectives, arrested 33-year-old Sergio Ivan Vanegas-Quinonez on an outstanding warrant of aggravated battery (great bodily harm) and aggravated assault. He is currently in custody at the El Paso County Detention Center awaiting extradition to Doña Ana County.

Thursday, 31-year-old Fernando Puga of Las Cruces was taken into custody by Doña Ana County Sheriff’s detectives with the assistance of FBI agents. Puga is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and attempted murder. He is currently being held at the Doña Ana County Detention Center on a $1 million cash bond.

According to court documents filed by sheriff’s detectives, Vanegas-Quinonez and Puga confronted an off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent on Friday, June 9, as the agent was reportedly helping his mother at her tamale stand near the intersection of Stan Roberts and McCombs in northeast El Paso.

The agent reportedly left in his vehicle with Vanegas-Quinonez and Puga.

At approximately 11:40 p.m. that same night, a sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to Paradise Lane, just off Shalem Colony Trail west of Las Cruces. Upon his arrival, the deputy reported finding a 30-year-old male subject who appeared to be suffering from multiple lacerations to his head and arms.

The male subject was later identified as the off-duty agent who reportedly left with Vanegas-Quinonez and Puga from northeast El Paso. The victim said the two men were armed with a gun and a machete. Detectives say the victim was struck repeatedly with the machete.

The gun was later discovered to be a pellet gun.

Sheriff’s detectives began to piece together details of the attack with an earlier call for service, one that happened just before 9 p.m. on the same night in the 100 block of Amparo Road in Chaparral.

Deputies responded to that location on what was initially believed to be an unrelated domestic dispute. When they arrived, it was learned that Vanegas-Quinonez had been at the house, demanding to see his ex-girlfriend. The woman’s sister told deputies Vanegas-Quinonez threatened her with what appeared to be a handgun. The sister described the vehicle Vanegas-Quinonez was in as an older-model red Nissan – the same vehicle that sheriff’s deputies located on the side of McCombs Road, just south of the New Mexico/Texas state line.

The vehicle matched the description provided by the victim on Amparo Road. Physical descriptions of the two suspects also matched between the victim on Amparo Road, the agent and his mother.
The victim remains in critical condition at UMC.

The incident is still an open investigation, in cooperation with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, and the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/...spects-caught/