A man with a criminal history tied to human smuggling was shot and wounded by a Border Patrol agent early Tuesday near Arivaca, Arizona, authorities said. The FBI and local officials said the shooting followed a traffic stop and a foot chase.
Officials named the man as Patrick Gary Schlegel, 34, a Sahuarita resident. They said agents first spotted a vehicle with several people and tried to stop it before dawn.
Later that morning, a Border Patrol agent says he saw what he believed was the same vehicle and stopped it again. The driver got out and ran, and the agent chased him on foot, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.
βShots were fired from the suspect, and the agent returned fire,β Nanos said at a news conference. Officials added that at one point Schlegel fired at a Customs and Border Protection helicopter, a detail the FBI confirmed.
No law enforcement officers were hurt, authorities said. Schlegel was struck and taken to a hospital. He underwent surgery and was in serious but stable condition, officials said.
The FBI said Schlegel has a prior conviction for transporting people illegally for profit and had an active federal arrest warrant for escape related to that conviction. Court records show he had been serving a 36 month sentence and signed out of a release program in December for counseling and did not return.
Federal agents said Schlegel is expected to face at least three federal counts, including assault on a federal officer, alien smuggling and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The FBI said it would take part in the investigation and that the Pima County Sheriffβs Department would lead the use of force review.
Heith Janke, the FBI special agent in charge in Phoenix, did not sugar coat the message. βLet me be clear, any assault on law enforcement officers will not be tolerated,β he said.
The shooting in Arivaca comes at a tense time for federal immigration operations. In recent weeks, two fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis set off protests and sharp criticism of the Department of Homeland Security.
The shooting in Arivaca comes at a tense time for federal immigration operations. In recent weeks, federal immigration officers fatally shot Alex Pretti and Renee Macklin Good in Minneapolis, setting off protests and sharp criticism of the Department of Homeland Security.
House Democratic leaders sharply criticized the department on Tuesday and warned of impeachment if Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is not removed. The joint statement from Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar said they were prepared to move if Noem stayed in her post.
President Donald Trump was asked on the White House lawn if Noem should step down. His answer was short and clear. βNo.β
Local officials said the agentβs use of force may have been lawful based on what is known so far, but the investigation is still open. The sheriffβs office noted that bringing in the county for a review is standard when a federal agent fires a weapon inside Pima County.
For now, Schlegel remains in custody in the hospital and is expected to face federal charges. No attorney for him had been publicly identified late Tuesday, and investigators said they would release more information as the probe continues.
Featured image via X screengrab
