A Russian national has been charged with felony assault after allegedly biting and injuring an immigration officer who had detained and arrested him Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles.
Federal authorities charged Maksim Zaitsev, 35, of Costa Mesa with assault on a federal employee resulting in bodily injury, the U.S. attorney’s office in L.A. said in a news release Wednesday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officers, identified only as I.R. and F.H., detained Zaitsev on Tuesday morning, pursuant to an administrative arrest warrant, according to an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint in federal court. It’s unclear what the arrest warrant was for.
As the officers escorted Zaitsev to a processing area, he allegedly struggled and bit I.R.’s left pinky finger, breaking skin, drawing blood and fracturing a bone.
Zaitsev’s federal public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An ICE spokesperson referred questions to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Zaitsev was expected to make his initial appearance Wednesday in U.S. District Court in downtown L.A. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
The alleged attack comes amid President Trump’s deluge of orders and policy changes intended to toughen immigration laws and facilitate deportations.
“The men and women of Immigration and Customs Enforcement are critical to protecting national security and public safety and upholding the rule law,” acting U.S. Atty. Joseph T. McNally said in a statement. “As alleged in the felony criminal complaint, the defendant attacked a deportation officer. He will be held accountable for his actions.”
According to the affidavit, ICE issued a letter on Feb. 19 asking Zaitsev to appear Tuesday for a case review at the ICE office inside the U.S. Federal Building at 300 N. Los Angeles St. After the officers announced themselves as ICE agents and arrested Zaitsev, he allegedly became agitated and screamed toward someone believed to be his wife.
Zaitsev allegedly “dropped his weight,” according to the affidavit, causing the officers to lose their balance and fall to the ground, according to the affidavit. As I.R. and F.H. “attempted to regain control” of Zaitsev, he allegedly bit I.R.
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