Police tape blocks off the crime scene outside a church where a man shot dead four people, including three of his children, before turning the gun on himself, February 28, 2022 in Sacramento, California. A father shot dead three of his own children on February 28 before turning the gun on himself in a US church, police said. A fifth person also died in the shooting in Sacramento, California, though it was not clear if that person was related to what police said was a domestic incident. (Photo by Andri Tambunan / AFP) (Photo by ANDRI TAMBUNAN/AFP via Getty Images)
San Diego, California – A Mexican national is facing federal charges after authorities say he used his car as a weapon while agents attempted to arrest him in National City, injuring one officer so severely that he required hospitalization and a wheelchair.
Prosecutors say Roberto Carlos Galeana-Guatemala was taken into custody after a chaotic early-morning confrontation on November 12, when Homeland Security Task Force agents tried to execute a federal arrest warrant outside an apartment complex. Galeana-Guatemala, who had been removed from the United States earlier this year following an immigration-related conviction, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon causing bodily injury and illegally reentering the country.
According to the criminal complaint, agents positioned their vehicles in front of a Honda believed to be driven by Galeana-Guatemala around 4:25 a.m. and loudly identified themselves as police. Instead of complying, he allegedly threw the car into reverse and attempted to escape.
Agents pursued on foot, shouting for him to stop as more law enforcement vehicles arrived and activated their emergency lights to block his exit. Galeana-Guatemala tried to maneuver around the blockade, according to authorities, stopping just a foot from the bumper of one police vehicle before suddenly speeding away.
When agents approached the driver’s side window and again ordered him not to move, Galeana-Guatemala reportedly paused—then accelerated directly toward them, forcing several officers to dive out of the way.
One agent wasn’t able to escape. According to the complaint, Galeana-Guatemala’s car struck the officer with enough force to knock him to the ground and drag him underneath parked vehicles. The agent suffered contusions, a possible sternum fracture, and was unable to walk without the assistance of a wheelchair due to ongoing pain.
After hitting the agent, Galeana-Guatemala allegedly kept driving south and rammed another law enforcement vehicle, damaging its passenger-side door so badly it could no longer open.
Authorities located him later that day near Fairmount Avenue in San Diego. He attempted to run again, the complaint says, but officers apprehended him.
Galeana-Guatemala, who was deported in February after being convicted of bringing undocumented migrants into the country outside a designated port of entry, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian J. White for a detention hearing. He agreed to remain in federal custody without bond.
The injured federal officer remains in recovery as the case moves forward.
