Driver Dragged ICE Officer 150 Feet While Fleeing: Authorities

BLOOMINGTON, MN — A man who was stopped by immigration authorities Tuesday in Bloomington is accused of dragging an officer at least 150 feet with his car while trying to evade arrest, according to authorities.

Robert Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, 39, of Mexico, is charged with assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous or deadly weapon resulting in bodily injury, authorities said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement first lodged a detainer for Munoz-Guatemala in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the incident Tuesday involved multiple federal agencies trying to arrest him due to his lack of legal status, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

He was also charged in December 2022 with repeatedly sexually abusing a minor and was convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a felony, according to the authorities.

Officers and agents on Tuesday pulled over Munoz-Guatemala for a traffic stop, but he refused to lower his windows and open the door, which led an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer to use a window punch to break a rear window and reach into the car to try to unlock it, authorities said.

Munoz-Guatemala then sped away, dragging the officer, who twice fired a Taser and screamed, according to authorities, who said Munoz-Guatemala wove in traffic and drove onto the curb, eventually knocking the officer free and fleeing.

The officer was taken to a hospital and received 20 stitches in his right arm, 13 stitches in his left hand and various abrasions, authorities said.

Munoz-Guatemala was arrested and was in federal custody as of Wednesday, according to authorities.