Venezuelan national shot by ICE officer in Austin charged with assaulting federal officer

A Venezuelan national who was shot by an ICE officer following a vehicle pursuit in Austin earlier this month has been charged with assaulting, resisting, interfering with and impeding a federal officer, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors allege that Wilber Rafael Garces-Perez, 28, refused ICE officers’ commands to exit his vehicle during a targeted traffic stop before speeding away and striking one officer in the torso with his driver’s side-view mirror.

Garces-Perez faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted, according to DOJ.

According to the complaint, officers first spotted Garces-Perez’s vehicle outside a restaurant, ran its...