Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 21

Honduran Man Charged in New Jersey Hammer Attack on ICE Officers, Facing 20 Years

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 21

Honduran Man Charged in New Jersey Hammer Attack on ICE Officers, Facing 20 Years

Q: How did a routine license plate check escalate into a hammer-wielding clash with federal officers in New Jersey?

What began as a targeted immigration traffic stop escalated when the driver allegedly armed himself and resisted officers. Federal prosecutors say ICE officers in Gibbsboro, New Jersey, were conducting an enforcement operation on Oct. 4 when a license plate check identified a black Chevy pickup registered to 27-year-old Reinieri De Jesus Licona Amador. After checking immigration records, officers concluded he did not have lawful status in the United States and pulled the truck over with emergency lights. According to the criminal complaint, the situation turned violent as officers approached the driver’s side. They allegedly saw Licona Amador reach into a tool container in the truck and grab a hammer. Prosecutors say officers repeatedly ordered him to stop, but he refused. When they tried to remove him from the vehicle, he moved across the cab to the passenger side, climbed onto the open door and swung the hammer multiple times at two ICE officers. The officers then used pepper spray and forced him to the ground before arresting him. No injuries were reported. Prosecutors say the officers were wearing identifying ICE gear and displaying badges during the stop. Licona Amador later appeared in Camden federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Pascal. He was charged with assaulting federal officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if he is convicted.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 21

Reinieri De Jesus Licona Amador, 27, appeared in Camden federal court after prosecutors charged him with assaulting ICE officers with a hammer during an Oct. 4 stop in Gibbsboro.
Federal authorities said officers identified his truck in a targeted ICE operation, found records indicating he lacked lawful U.S. status, and pulled him over after a license-plate check.
Prosecutors allege Licona Amador grabbed a hammer from the truck, ignored repeated commands, climbed onto the passenger-side door and repeatedly swung at officers trying to arrest him.
OC spray and a struggle brought him to the ground without injuries, but the charge of assaulting federal officers with a deadly weapon carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.