A San Bernardino man was arrested and charged Thursday after he was accused of striking a federal agent with his truck, prompting officials to fire their weapon at the car nearly two weeks ago.
Francisco Longoria, who was charged with assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon, made his first court appearance Thursday as more than two dozen community and family members witnessed the process including his two children.
Longoria’s arrest stemmed from the incident that happened on Aug. 16 as the family was returning home from work. The family had said masked federal agents from unmarked vehicles surrounded the truck in the area of Acacia Avenue and Baseline Street.
While the family said it refused to comply because the agents didn’t have a warrant, the Department of the Homeland Security said the driver, Francisco Longoria, tried to “run (the agents) down with the truck.”
In the cellphone video shot from inside the truck, the family could be heard demanding identification from the agents. The slow motion version of the video showed the agents’ arm reaching through the broken windows. Seconds later, the driver hit the gas and sped off with screeching tires followed by three loud pops, which were later confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security to be the sound of gunshots.
A federal judge said Longoria could be released on a $5,000 bail, but he was placed under immigration custody for being undocumented.
After the court appearance, Longoria asked to hug his children before being taken away. His family pledged to fight for his release.
Source: NBC Los Angeles