Special to the NEWS
BROWNSVILLE, TX—A 23-year-old San Benito man was ordered to federal prison after attempting to run over an FBI agent while trying to evade arrest in a stolen vehicle, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani this week.
Damian Evans Lopez pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer on Sept. 9. This week, U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera ordered him to serve 110 months immediately followed by two years of supervised release.
Judge Olvera enhanced the sentence for Use of a Motor Vehicle as a Deadly Weapon, Reckless Endangerment During Flight, and Official Victim Adjustments.
At the hearing, the court heard how Lopez had a history of placing law enforcement and the public in danger given his three prior felony convictions for evading arrest with motor vehicles.
On June 28, an FBI agent was engaged in an investigation involving stolen vehicles being illegally exported into Mexico. He identified a stolen Chevrolet truck parked near the Gateway International Bridge Port of Entry in Brownsville and called for assistance.
The agent was wearing FBI gear with clear law enforcement markings and began approaching the vehicle. Authorities asked Lopez to exit from the driver’s seat, but he failed to do so. Instead, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office, he turned the vehicle’s wheels to exit the parking space and aggressively accelerated directly at the FBI agent.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, the agent managed to jump out of the way of the accelerating vehicle and avoided serious injury and/or death by mere inches.
Authorities apprehended Lopez in San Benito, following a high-speed vehicle chase through the streets of Brownsville and onto the freeway. The pursuit, which lasted 20 minutes, involved speeds exceeding 100 mph, read court records.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Lopez remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility which will be determined in the near future.
The FBI and Brownsville Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro prosecuted the case.