Federal officials announced new charges in connection with an alleged coordinated attack against a North Texas ICE detention facility.
ALVARADO, Texas — An 11th suspect was arrested in connection with an attack on an ICE detention facility south of Fort Worth, according to a recently unsealed federal filing.
Ten people were arrested July 4 and 5 after an Alvarado Police officer was shot in the neck in an attack prosecutors describe as a “coordinated ambush” outside an ICE detention center, WFAA previously reported. The suspects have been charged with attempting to murder federal agents, terrorism and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, according to jail records.
The 11th suspect, Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada, is accused of knowingly and willfully altering, destroying or concealing a record, document or other object with the intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding, according to the criminal complaint against Sanchez Estrada.
He is also accused of conspiring with the other defendants to launch a “coordinated attack” against law enforcement in Alvarado.
A previous federal complaint alleges that the ten original suspects, all of whom are from North Texas, drove to the detention center July 4 to ambush officers there. The suspects allegedly shot fireworks toward the detention center and vandalized cars in the parking lot to lure the Alvarado officer to the ambush, according to the complaint.
The complaint states that the officer was shot shortly after he arrived on scene and the gunman then fired 20-30 rounds at two correctional officers who were also outside the building. Ten people were later arrested for allegedly taking part in the attack.
One of the 10 suspects arrested at the scene of the alleged attack, Maricela Rueda, allegedly placed a call to Sanchez Estrada from jail, the criminal complaint states. During the call, Rueda allegedly instructed Sanchez Estrada to tow her vehicle from a house in Dallas that was believed to be a “staging location” for the suspects before they proceeded to the detention center, the complaint states.
Also during the call, Rueda told Sanchez Estrada, “whatever you need to do, move whatever you need to move at the house,” according to the complaint. Officials believe Rueda was referencing her Fort Worth home, which she shared with Sanchez Estrada when he was not living at his parents’ home in Dallas, the complaint states.
An FBI surveillance team later observed Sanchez Estrada carrying several packages from his parents’ home and dropping them off at an apartment complex in Denton, the complaint states. Sanchez Rueda was later stopped by Denton Police for a felony traffic stop and placed under arrest for state traffic offense, officials said.
Officials searched his vehicle, but no relevant boxes were recovered.
Police later conducted a search of the Denton apartment and found what appears to be the same box Sanchez Estrada was carrying, the complaint said. In the box, federal officials found handwritten training, tactics and planning documents for civil unrest, the complaint alleges. The documents depict “anti-law enforcement, anti-government and anti-Trump sentiments,” officials said.
The Alvarado City Council is set to meet behind closed doors to discuss the incident on Thursday. The mayor said the local police chief will provide an update to Council members at that time.