FBI arrests two after vehicle attack on border patrol in Chicago
Federal authorities arrested Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ian Santos following an alleged assault on a Customs and Border Protection vehicle in southwest Chicago. The incident, which involved ramming and boxing in the agents' SUV, led to a shooting by a border patrol agent. Both suspects face charges of assaulting and interfering with federal officers.
The confrontation unfolded on Saturday morning when three Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, operating a silver Chevrolet Tahoe as a mobile security detail for an immigration enforcement operation in southwest Chicago, were pursued by a convoy of civilian vehicles. According to a federal criminal complaint, the convoy ignored red lights and stop signs while tailing the agents aggressively. Marimar Martinez, 31, reportedly referred to the officers as 'la migra,' a derogatory term for immigration enforcement personnel.
The pursuit escalated as Martinez and Anthony Ian Santos, 21—referred to as Ruiz in the complaint—allegedly drove their vehicles into the CBP Tahoe, striking it on both the driver's and passenger's sides. This caused the agents to temporarily lose control. After the Tahoe stopped and the agents exited, Martinez reportedly drove toward one of them, prompting a border patrol agent to fire five shots at her vehicle. The suspects' cars then fled the scene.
Martinez was later arrested at a repair shop and hospitalized for gunshot wounds. Santos was apprehended at a gas station. On Sunday, both were charged with forcibly assaulting, impeding, and interfering with a federal law enforcement officer.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrests on X, stating, “Attack our law enforcement, and this FBI will find you and bring you to justice.”
This incident follows two earlier vehicle attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the Chicago area that week. In one, Miguel Escareno De Loera rammed an ICE vehicle twice in Norridge, Illinois, before crashing. In the other, Widman Osberto Lopez-Funes collided with ICE agents in Bensenville before fleeing on foot and being captured.