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Federal prosecutors charged a man who U.S. Customs and Border Protection said attacked officers Tuesday at the Roma port of entry.
Ricardo Cortez-Garcia, a Mexican citizen born in 1981, is accused of repeatedly punching one officer in the face at approximately 4:19 p.m. Tuesday. A criminal complaint said the fight happened when Cortez approached the inspection point from Miguel Aleman, Mexico and officers asked him for identification.
“Cortez-Garcia began cursing at the Officers and then ran past them towards the Roma Port of Entry,” the complaint said. “Both Officers chased after Cortez-Garcia and tackled him to the ground on the US side of the bridge.”
That’s when prosecutors say Cortez began fighting and got on top of one of the CBP officers and began to repeatedly punch him in the face and head, causing him pain which left him feeling dizzy.
The complaint said the officer suffered a concussion.
Another officer tried to pull Cortez off of his colleague, which is when Cortez attempted to elbow the second officer and punch him in the face, which the officer avoided, according to the complaint.
Cortez broke free from the officers and began to run toward the primary lanes for vehicles at the port of entry. The officers chased him and Cortez was eventually taken into custody by several officers, according to the complaint.
Cortez was scheduled to make an initial appearance Wednesday morning in McAllen federal court in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Nadia S. Medrano, records indicate.
