AUSTIN, Texas — A Venezuelan delivery driver who was shot in his car by a federal immigration agent in Texas will remain in custody on charges that he assaulted an officer while trying to evade arrest, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
\n\nJudge Dustin Howell said that the case against Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, 28, should proceed after prosecutors presented body-worn camera footage of the encounter in Austin, in which Garcés Pérez allegedly struck a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer with his driver’s side mirror.
\n\nGarcés Pérez is charged with one count of assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. His case has sparked widespread outrage across the Texas capital city and brought renewed criticism from Democrats of President Donald Trump’s aggressive crackdown on immigration.
\n\nWith a bullet still lodged in his back, Garcés Pérez appeared in court in a wheelchair. His attorneys said he still urgently needs medical care, 10 days after being shot. He also wore a sling on his arm and needed help putting on a headset to listen to a translation of the proceedings.
\n\nThe defense called the charges against Garcés Pérez “retaliation” and argued that…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/