Biddeford Man Charged with Attempted Murder of United States Marshals
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 28, 2012 |
PORTLAND, ME—United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty, II announced today that Arien L’Italien, 22, of Biddeford, Maine has been arrested and charged by complaint with one count of attempted murder of a federal officer and one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon.
The charges stem from an incident on Friday evening on Mellen Street in Portland. Deputies from the United States Marshals Service’s Maine Violent Offender Task Force intended to arrest L’Italien on a warrant. When marshals ordered L’Italien to stop, he began to run and then fired a handgun at the marshals, who returned fire. L’Italien was struck in the leg. He was transported to Maine Medical Center where he was treated. No law enforcement officers were hit in the exchange of gunfire.
It is expected that L’Italien will make an initial appearance in federal court on Monday.
The investigation is being conducted by the United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Portland Police Department.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.