Driver Hits ICE Officer In Columbia Parking Lot: Officials

COLUMBIA, MD — An 18-year-old has turned himself in to police in connection with a hit-and-run incident in Columbia on Aug. 11.

Jimy Samuel Alfaro-Godoy, 18, is being held on multiple traffic charges, a spokesperson with the police department told media.

On Aug. 11 around 2:27 p.m., Howard County police officers were called to the Eataliano Market & Deli after receiving reports that a person had been hit by a vehicle. The driver, later identified by officials as Alfaro-Godoy, hit someone and fled the scene, according to Howard County Police.

A witness associated with the business told WMAR that Alfaro-Godoy hit a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent with his vehicle. The person told WMAR that it appeared ICE was tracking a man in a green Mustang who had pulled into the parking lot.

A spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security told CBS News that ICE officers approached Alfaro-Godoy's car to make an arrest during a targeted enforcement operation. After agents identified themselves as ICE officers and issued lawful commands, Alfaro-Godoy appeared to attempt to flee, according to reports.

Agents attempted to gain access to his car during the escape attempt, but Alfaro-Godoy put his car in drive and drove directly toward the officers, ICE said.

The DHS spokesperson said one officer jumped out of the way and onto the hood of another car to avoid being hit. Another officer was then pinned between a parked car and Alfaro-Godoy's vehicle, sustaining bodily injury, CBS News reported.

Alfaro-Godoy then took off at a high speed. ICE officers cared for the injured officer and called 911. The officer was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

On Aug. 21, the United States Marshals lodged a detainer on behalf of Homeland Security Investigations for Alfaro-Godoy, whom a DHS spokesperson described as a "criminal illegal alien from Honduras," with the Howard County Department of Corrections due to a federal criminal arrest warrant for assault on a federal officer.

The DHS spokesperson stated that on Jan. 29, 2021, Border Patrol arrested Alfaro-Godoy after he allegedly entered the United States illegally near Laredo, Texas.

"We remind the public that assaulting law enforcement is a felony and crime," the DHS spokesperson told CBS News.

Alfaro-Godoy is currently being held at the Howard County Detention Center without bond.