Mexican National Sentenced For Pointing Loaded Gun At Agent

SAN DIEGO— A Mexican national who pointed a loaded handgun at a U.S. Border Patrol agent was sentenced Monday in San Diego to nearly 14 years in federal prison.

Hector Rodriguez-Chavez, 62, of Guadalajara, was handed a 141-month term for pointing the semiautomatic pistol at an agent in November 2018 when approached in a remote area about three miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. The agent was able to wrestle the gun out of his hands.

U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel tacked on an additional two years to the defendant's sentence for violating the terms of his supervised release stemming from a 2014 conviction for illegally re-entering the country after being deported, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Aaron M. Heitke, Chief Patrol Agent for the San Diego sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, said he was "pleased by this sentence."

"Any day that our agents go home safe is a good day. Border Patrol agents risk their lives every day, protecting America and the agent's quick thinking in this case prevented any bloodshed," Heitke said.

– City News Service