Marble Hill protester accused of attacking federal agent faces assault charge

Federal prosecutors arrested a man they say physically assaulted a Homeland Security Investigations agent at a protest after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot an immigrant in Marble Hill earlier this month.

The U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York accused Liberty Martin, 42, of grabbing and ripping the agent’s clothing. Martin and other people in the crowd then pushed the agent against his vehicle, shoved him inside the car and slammed the door on him, causing a 2-inch cut on his forehead, prosecutors said.

The U.S. attorney’s office charged Martin, of the Bronx, with one count of physically assaulting a federal employee. He faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.

U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said in a statement that his office “will aggressively protect and defend our law enforcement partners against unlawful attacks.”

“Assaulting law enforcement officers in the commission of their lawful duties undermines respect for the rule of law and threatens the systems we rely upon to keep us safe,” he said. “This Office will not tolerate criminal interference of their sworn duties and will charge anyone who unlawfully jeopardizes the safety of law enforcement officers.”

Martin’s attorney, assistant federal defender Ariel Werner, said in a statement that no one has been charged in the shooting that prompted the protest.

“Instead, the government has charged Liberty Martin with allegedly ripping an ICE agent’s shirt during protests related to the shooting,” she said. “This shows that the federal government’s priority is protecting ICE, not the community.”

Protesters have flocked to Marble Hill since Oct. 8, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers attempted to arrest Dominican immigrant Oscar Belgal as he parked his car. At least one officer fired into the vehicle, hitting Belgal in the neck.

Belgal survived the shooting, but his attorneys said he still has a bullet lodged in his neck. They have asked a judge to immediately release him from custody.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has condemned the shooting and demanded that President Donald Trump stop all ICE enforcement in New York City. Federal officials have said the shooting was justified and that Belgal “weaponized his vehicle” — a claim that his attorneys have denied.

This story has been updated to include a statement from Martin’s attorney.