Two people have been hospitalized after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents opened fire during an operation in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, agents approached a white van after identifying the men inside as unauthorized immigrants. The department alleges the driver refused to turn off the engine and instead began ramming ICE vehicles and targeting agents.
The officers shot at the van, wounding the driver, DHS said. The driver then wrecked the van, injuring the passenger.
The shooting occurred about 10:50 a.m. on West Court, local Fox affiliate WBFF reported.
DHS identified the driver as Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins of Portugal and Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel of El Salvador. “Both are in stable condition and expected to recover,” DHS added.
The incident is being investigated by the Anne Arundel County Police and the FBI, according to WMAR 2.
“It’s a multi-layered incident with obviously our federal partners involved,” Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad said, according to The Baltimore Banner.
Gov. Wes Moore (D) said online that he is “aware” of the matter.
“As information surrounding the incident continues to emerge, we will remain in touch with local officials and are standing by to provide support for the community,” Moore said.
According to Fox 5 DC, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) said the shooting was “exactly the kind of incident that I and my peers across the country have dreaded.”
“We have federal law enforcement operating in our jurisdictions without the traditional notification of local police and often without identification,” Pittman added. “It is a recipe for violence, and that is what we experienced in our county today. We do not know the facts of the case yet, but will be investigating it as we do all shootings in our county. We pray for a fast recovery for the injured.”
ICE and the Anne Arundel County Police did not immediately respond to JS’s requests for comment.
