Honduran men charged after Border Patrol agent says he was assaulted in Starr County

Honduran men charged after Border Patrol agent says he was assaulted in Starr County

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Posted: Thursday, August 7, 2014 10:22 pm
BY JARED TAYLOR STAFF WRITER

RIO GRANDECITY — Two Honduran nationals face federal charges after a U.S. Border Patrol agent said he was assaulted Monday near Rio GrandeCity.

Marco Tulio Avelar-Gomez, 45, and Nelson Dionosio Chavarria-Ramos, 25, were spotted about 3:30 p.m. Monday in StarrCounty, according to a criminal complaint submitted by the FBI.

Court records did not include specific information about the incident’s location.

A Border Patrol agent — identified in court documents only as R.G. — encountered the two men, who was “violently assaulted” by Chavarria, who repeatedly punched the agent, including two blows to the face, the complaint states.

Avelar is accused of holding the agent’s legs while Chavarria punched him, the complaint states.

Both Avelar and Chavarria were found to be in the United States illegally, agents said in the complaint.

Detention hearings are set for each man Friday before a U.S. magistrate in McAllen.

Local Border Patrol union officials have said Rio GrandeValley agents have experienced more incidents of assault amid the latest rise in the number of immigrants crossing here illegally in recent months.

In April, a 39-year-old Guatemalan man rammed the head of another Border Patrol agent into tree and then struck him with his service rifle, agents have said. The man, Crescenio Perez, is set for sentencing in September.

And in March, a Salvadoran man was charged with attempted murder of a Border Patrol agent after investigators said he tried to take his weapon while in the brush near the Falfurrias checkpoint. The agent’s gun discharged twice before he regained control of it.

jtaylor@themonitor.com

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