Journalism of Courage
US federal agents in Chicago shot and wounded a woman over the weekend after she allegedly rammed a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) vehicle — but her attorney now claims that body-camera footage captures one of the officers saying, “Do something, b**ch,” before opening fire, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, The Guardian reported.
The incident occurred on Saturday morning in the Brighton Park neighbourhood, as immigration agents — acting under the Trump administration’s intensified deportation drive — carried out operations across Illinois’s largest city.
Federal authorities allege that the woman, identified as 30-year-old Marimar Martinez, was part of a convoy that boxed in and struck a CBP vehicle. The US Justice Department said both Martinez and another driver, 21-year-old Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, have been charged with “forcibly assaulting, impeding, and interfering with a federal law enforcement officer.”
According to a criminal complaint, the government claims that Martinez and Ruiz “followed [CBP agents] closely” and drove into their vehicle, causing a “temporary loss of control.” The complaint says an agent exited the car after being struck, and that Martinez then allegedly drove her vehicle toward him — prompting the agent to fire about five shots at her.
Martinez fled the scene and was later found at a nearby repair shop. She was taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. Federal officials from the Department of Homeland Security claimed she was armed with a semi-automatic weapon and had previously doxed agents online, though the criminal complaint makes no mention of her being armed.
At a detention hearing on Monday, Martinez’s defence attorney Christopher Parente challenged the government’s version of events, saying that body-camera footage showed the agent taunting her before firing.
“Do something, b**ch,” the officer said before opening fire, according to Parente, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Parente also told the Chicago Tribune that the video shows the officer suddenly turning the wheel, jumping out, and “just start[ing] shooting.”
“What I do know is – it was Ms Martinez who has seven holes in her body from five shots from this agent, who fired within seconds of getting out of this vehicle,” Parente said.
The body-camera footage has not been made public.
Assistant US attorney Sean Hennessy, however, described Martinez and Ruiz’s actions as “extremely dangerous and extremely reckless,” according to the Chicago Tribune. He said the same footage captures agents shouting, “We’re getting boxed in! We gotta get out of here! She’s going to make contact,” before their car was struck.
Hennessy also stated that Martinez had a loaded gun in her purse but did not brandish it during the confrontation, noting that she holds a concealed-carry permit.
A judge ordered both Martinez and Ruiz released from custody pending trial, according to ABC7 Chicago.
The shooting comes amid heightened tension in Chicago following President Donald Trump’s expanded immigration enforcement push. National Guard troops from Texas were deployed to Illinois after a federal judge declined to block the move while the state’s lawsuit against the administration proceeds.
(With inputs from The Guardian)
