Mexican Citizen Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Assaulting Border Patrol Agent

TUCSON, AZ—Luis Alberto Barron-Sanchez, 20, of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced today to 57 months in prison by U.S. District Chief Judge John M. Roll. Barron-Sanchez pleaded guilty on January 30, 2009, to Assault on a Federal Officer with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon.

On January 24, 2008, Luis Barron-Sanchez was driving a vehicle that contained four illegal aliens when he was stopped by a Senior Border Patrol Agent conducting an immigration check. When the Agent opened the passenger door of the vehicle that Barron-Sanchez was operating, Barron-Sanchez kept the engine running and refused to turn off the ignition. When the Agent reached in to turn off the ignition, Barron-Sanchez intentionally sped away.

As Barron-Sanchez drove away, the Agent was caught between the passenger door and the frame of the vehicle before he lost his footing. The Agent fell back, rolled and was injured. Prior to the Agent falling back, he took out his service weapon and shot Barron-Sanchez in the leg to get him to stop the vehicle. The vehicle came to a stop a distance away and Barron-Sanchez was subsequently arrested. No one else in the vehicle was injured. The Agent recovered from his injuries.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by U.S. Border Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Raquel Arellano, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.