PORTLAND, Ore. (WOWO) — Federal authorities have charged a man who was shot by U.S. Border Patrol agents last week in Portland, Oregon, following an immigration enforcement operation that escalated into a confrontation.
Luis Nino-Moncada was charged Monday with aggravated assault of a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon and depredation of federal property in excess of $1,000, the Department of Justice said.
The shooting occurred shortly after 2 p.m. on Jan. 8, when six Border Patrol agents in four unmarked vehicles targeted Yorlenys Zambrano-Contreras, a woman previously arrested by Border Patrol in Texas who had failed to check in with immigration authorities, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in federal court.
Court documents show the agents conducted a stop in the parking lot of Adventist Health Primary Care on a red Toyota Tacoma associated with Zambrano-Contreras. Nino-Moncada was driving the vehicle, and Zambrano-Contreras was the passenger.
According to 21 Alive, “When agents identified themselves and asked the two to exit the truck, Nino-Moncada allegedly placed the vehicle in reverse and hit an unoccupied Border Patrol car. He then moved the truck back and forth multiple times, prompting an agent to fire their weapon in fear for officer safety.”
Nino-Moncada fled the scene, and about six minutes later, he and Zambrano-Contreras were found with apparent gunshot wounds near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside. Court filings indicate Nino-Moncada admitted intentionally ramming the Border Patrol vehicle to try to escape and said he knew it was an immigration enforcement vehicle.
Authorities noted that no body-worn camera footage was available from the six agents involved, and surveillance cameras in the parking lot did not capture the incident.
Zambrano-Contreras is in ICE custody in Tacoma, Washington. The Department of Homeland Security said both Nino-Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras are suspected associates of the Tren de Aragua gang.
The DOJ charges come amid broader national scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement in Portland, where confrontations with residents and protesters have drawn attention.
