Illegal Alien Assaults Immigration Officer with Box Cutter
WICHITA, KAN. – A Mexican national has been charged with assaulting a U.S. immigration officer with a box cutter, U.S. Attorney for Kansas Barry Grissom announced.
A criminal complaint filed in the case Thursday alleges that the Mexican national, Jose Luis Ramirez-Rico, 31, from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, but residing in Wichita, picked up a box cutter and lunged at the officer March 17 while the officer was looking for another man thought to live at the same address. The officer was not injured, Grissom said.
If convicted, Ramirez faces up to 20 years in federal prison. He is scheduled to make a first appearance in the case at 1:30 Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth Gale.
According to the complaint, Ramirez let three ICE deportation officers into the residence on South Hydraulic street in Wichita to look for another person the officers thought might live there who had been ordered removed from the United States. When one of the officers asked Ramirez-Rico about his immigration status, Ramirez-Rico "became nervous," looked at each of three officers, picked up the box cutter "with the blade out," then "thrust the box cutter" toward ICE Immigration Officer Gregorio Perez.
The officers were able to subdue Ramirez-Rico and knock the box cutter out of his hand without anyone getting injured, Grissom said.
According to the complaint, Ramirez had been working at the Kobe Steak House on S. Rock Road in Derby allegedly using false documents. Additional charges in the case are being considered, Grissom said.
As in any criminal case, a person charged with a crime if presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson.
