Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, faces charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer following an altercation with ICE agents in North Austin on Sept. 20. Garces Perez was arrested in a law-enforcement operation while working as a driver for DoorDash and was shot in the torso after an ICE vehicle pursuit.
He was then transported to Dell Seton Medical Center and subsequently released and taken into ICE custody, where he remains as of Tuesday.
The complaint against Garces Perez, filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleged Garces Perez disregarded officers’ demands to exit his car upon being pulled over. He then allegedly attempted to pull away from the scene, where his driver’s side mirror hit one of the officers in the chest. A vehicle chase ensued, in which Garces Perez allegedly attempted to strike an officer with his car. That officer then shot and hit Garces Perez before he was subsequently detained.
Photos of the initial detainment and Garces Perez’s exit from the scene were shared in Tuesday’s complaint. He is set to appear in court in San Antonio on Wednesday after a judge delayed his deportation. The Texas Tribune reports Garcés Perez could face up to 20 years in prison rather than deportation.
The shooting of Garcés Perez and his subsequent arrest is the second ICE-related shooting in Texas city in recent months. The recent incident in Austin follows the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by ICE agents in Houston in July.