Benjamin Song, a suspect charged in the recent July 4 attack on law enforcement officers outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, was apprehended in Dallas after nearly two weeks on the run.
However, this is not Song’s first arrest.
A former U.S. Marine Corps Reservist, he was arrested during the Austin protests in August 2020, where he was accused of aggravated assault on a public servant.
Despite allegations from officers that he pointed a rifle at law enforcement, a Travis County grand jury failed to indict him.
Song was arrested with guns and ammunition, which the Austin Police Department returned to him after the grand jury declined to indict him.
According to KXAN, APD officers had offered to assist the Travis County District Attorney’s office in preparing to present the case against Song to the grand jury, but were denied.
Now, Song is accused of taking part in setting off fireworks and vandalizing property near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Prairieland Detention Center to lure officers outside. The group of nearly a dozen individuals then opened fire with AR-15-style rifles, wounding an Alvarado police officer.
The attackers fled as law enforcement responded. While most of the group was quickly apprehended, Song initially evaded capture.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Song’s capture on Wednesday. He has been charged by federal complaint with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
“After the immediate apprehension of Song’s coconspirators at the scene, the FBI and our federal prosecutors—together with our other law enforcement partners—worked tirelessly around the clock pursuing Song. Their tremendous efforts culminated in the arrest of this alleged violent criminal today,” said acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson.
“The fourteen individuals who planned and participated in these heinous acts will be prosecuted, and we expect justice will be swift,” added Larson.
Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons praised the work of law enforcement.
This wannabe-killer is now off the streets. It’s horrifying that dangerous rhetoric, often spread by elected officials, has brought us to this point, but let this be an example to other people planning on terrorizing federal law enforcement officers: If you attack the brave men and women protecting this nation from dangerous criminal aliens, we will arrest you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.
The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that assaults against ICE officers have surged by nearly 700 percent this year.
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