Mexican man gets 4 years for assaulting agent in Arizona

by Ian Sullivan - May. 28, 2010 08:49 AM
The Arizona Republic
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A Mexican citizen was sentenced to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer in Pinal County.

Luis Alfredo Lopez-Sanchez, 38, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton.


Lopez-Sanchez crossed into Arizona illegally from Mexico on August 3, 2009, according to the U.S. Attorney's office, Arizona district. A few days later, a Border Patrol helicopter found Lopez-Sanchez near Red Rock, about 18 miles south of Eloy.

When the helicopter landed and agents approached Lopez-Sanchez to offer medical assistance, he ran to his pickup truck and began driving towards the agent.

The agent fired three shots at the truck to try to slow the truck down, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. When Lopez-Sanchez refused to stop the truck, the agent dove out of the way and sustained minor injuries.

A helicopter found Lopez-Sanchez after he drove through a fence. He later dove into the Santa Cruz River, the press release said. Lopez-Sanchez continued to resist arrest and had to be subdued with pepper spray.

"Federal agents put their lives on the line every day to protect our nation's borders by patrolling rough, often hostile terrain, and give assistance to those in distress," said U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke in a press release. "Assaulting a federal officer will not be tolerated, and as Mr. Lopez-Sanchez's sentence shows, it will result in prison time."



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