Border Patrol agents smashed a car window with a rifle before hauling out two female U.S. citizens accused of honking their horn to warn others that federal immigration officers were in the area, according to relatives and a witness.
A shocking video recorded in a Charlotte, North Carolina, neighborhood showed one goon pointing his gun into the window while shouting commands. He was then seen breaking the window and pulling a woman from the driver’s seat.
A second woman, also a U.S. citizen, was arrested moments earlier, according to a report from WCNC Charlotte.
According to the women’s family members, who spoke to WCNC, the pair were accused of honking their car horn to alert neighbors that Border Patrol was conducting operations nearby.
Agents allegedly chased their vehicle down a main road before the confrontation in a residential street in the city’s Plaza Midwood district.
The husband of one woman told reporters he could not reach either detainee for hours as they were held in an FBI facility. Both were later released with citations.
The family has not publicly identified the women, citing fears of retaliation.
Witness Shea Watts, speaking to WCNC, said he began filming after hearing shouting on the street outside. “It’s like somewhere between disbelief and just being really upset that this is our reality now,” he added.
Watts recorded the scary detention with commentary, “He’s breaking the window. He’s got an assault rifle pointed at her.” He added that an agent accused women of honking to alert people to their presence.
The incident unfolded amid a surge of federal immigration enforcement across the region as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) carries out new Trump-era directives.
The Kristi Noem-led department says it arrested over 130 individuals in the first 48 hours of the operation in Charlotte, part of an enforcement sweep it has dubbed “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” which began last Saturday.
Charlotte attorney Gary Mauney told WCNC that while citizens have a First Amendment right to film law enforcement, agents can claim authority to arrest people they believe are interfering with operations. He said warning others of Border Patrol’s presence could be interpreted that way.
Watts said he hopes more people document such scenes, “A reminder that if we see something, to record it.”
The Daily Beast has contacted DHS for comment.
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