Mario Garcia-Estrada, a 26-year-old Mexican national from Hidalgo, has been sentenced to 63 months in prison and three years of supervised release for assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash.
Garcia-Estrada pleaded guilty to two counts of Assault on a Federal Officer. According to court records, on March 4, 2023, Garcia-Estrada crossed illegally into the United States near Bisbee, Arizona. He was detected by U.S. Border Patrol cameras and subsequently located by an agent.
After being found hiding and identified as being unlawfully present in the country, Garcia-Estrada was arrested by the agent, who confiscated his cell phone and identification. While attempting to place him in her patrol vehicle, Garcia-Estrada pushed the agent to the ground and struck her multiple times in the face and head before fleeing on foot. A camera operator with Border Patrol tracked his movements and directed agents to his location for arrest. The agent suffered a fractured nose and additional injuries as a result of the attack.
The FBI Phoenix Division’s Sierra Vista office led the investigation into the incident. Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Houston from Tucson.
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