* A December 8 press release from the Department of Homeland Security…
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Luis Jesus Acosta Gutierrez, an illegal alien from Venezuela and suspected member of Tren de Aragua (TdA).
ICE officers attempted to conduct a vehicle stop, at which point Acosta resisted arrest by intentionally ramming an officer’s vehicle into a tree. Thankfully, the officer sustained no injuries.
Acosta then fled on foot and barricaded himself into an apartment of a person he did not know. The suspected gang member came out on the apartment’s balcony and officers tried to negotiate with him to leave the apartment. During this time, a large crowd of agitators formed and began throwing rocks and bottles at law enforcement officers. The local police department refused to protect ICE law enforcement officers.
All emphasis added.
* The Elgin Police Department released its own statement two days later…
The Elgin Police Department is continuing its investigations relating to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities occurring in the 1600 block of Maple Lane last Saturday, December 6.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a press release on Monday, December 8 about the ICE actions conducted in Elgin on Saturday. The press release alleges “rioters threw rocks and bottles” at ICE agents and that the Elgin Police Department “refused to help protect ICE law enforcement.”
The police department’s emergency communications center received over 50 calls relating to the incident. Callers reported on vehicles blocking the roadway, persons having been struck by pepper balls and persons being exposed to other chemical irritants. The police department has contacted each caller to ensure no other services or reports from the police department are needed.
Police reports have been created in response to eight incidents, and the investigations are continuing on each of those reports. Elgin police officers at the incident site determined that federal agents dispersed chemical irritants on some bystanders. Elgin police officers assisted Elgin firefighters in providing medical treatment for that exposure, and seven persons were treated and released on scene. The Elgin police department filed six police reports for persons stating they were either struck or had been exposed to chemical irritants.
The police department has been reviewing the body worn camera footage of the officers responding to the community calls for services, along with the numerous videos recording the incident that have been posted on public social media accounts.
Preliminary findings indicate the police department received five calls from subjects who identified themselves as federal agents. None of those agents reported rocks or bottles being thrown at them when making their calls. When Elgin police officers arrived on the incident site in response to these five calls, no federal agent said that rocks or bottles were being thrown at them to the responding Elgin police officers. A federal agent supervisor who was not at the incident site called the Elgin police department alleging bricks were being thrown at federal agents and that tires were being slashed. An Elgin police supervisor on the scene at the time of that call did not observe any such activity.
The police department has reviewed its body worn camera footage during the time when federal agents were leaving the incident area. The footage shows that some federal agents, while walking to their vehicles, were simultaneously deploying what appears to be crowd control munitions. The footage also showed other federal agents simply driving away in their vehicles. Footage from one body-worn camera shows a single instance in which what appears to be a plastic water container being thrown by a bystander at a federal agent’s vehicle. The water container strikes the rear window of the federal agent’s vehicle and bounces off as the vehicle is driving away.
The police department’s review of videos posted on social media accounts shows an in- stance in which a bystander picks up what appears to be a snowball from the ground and then throws it at a federal agent’s vehicle.
Hat tip: Daily Herald.
…Adding… Tribune…
A Tribune search of local court systems did not locate criminal matters matching Acosta Gutierrez’s name. Records, though, show that Acosta Gutierrez paid a fine for a 2023 traffic violation for driving without a license and the matter was closed in April 2024, according to McHenry County court. […]
The saga began in Elgin shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday in the 1600 block of West Highland Avenue. Acosta Gutierrez had been driving to a mechanic to get work done on his car, said Robert Held, an attorney and activist assisting Acosta with the case.
What happened next is in dispute.
Federal authorities said ICE was attempting a vehicle stop, and that Acosta Gutierrez rammed an officer’s vehicle into a tree. Held said it was an agent who rammed Acosta Gutierrez’s vehicle. […]
When asked about evidence of Acosta Gutierrez’s alleged affiliation to the Tren de Aragua gang, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist group as of this year, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, “DHS intelligence assessments go well beyond just gang affiliate tattoos and social media.”
“We are confident in our law enforcement’s intelligence, and we aren’t going to share intelligence reports and undermine national security every time a gang member denies he is one. That would be insane,” McLaughlin said.
- Big Dipper - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 10:56 am:
The constant lying is tiresome but expected.
- DuPage Dad - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 11:03 am:
Nobody is afraid of these people, and that scares them.
- This is ridiculous - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 11:05 am:
Yeah, that sounds about right. Nothing but lies.
- Banish Misfortune - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 11:05 am:
All these throwing rocks allegations have always been odd. I mean where I live there are not random piles of rocks lying around.
So they must be saying that people brought them.
But you don’t see that either. The conclusion is that it that it is just a pack of lies.
- NIU Grad - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 11:06 am:
What keeps annoying me is how both police officers and military servicemembers still remain overwhelmingly in the MAGA camp even as they’re being constantly attacked by this administration, called liars, and used as pawns.
- Norseman - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 11:11 am:
I see this as the secret police version of the Telephone game. The exaggerated message starts from the agent, gets revised with greater distance from the truth as it goes up the HHS propaganda chain.
- JS Mill - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 11:21 am:
=All these throwing rocks allegations have always been odd.=
Same with the car ramming. I have never heard so much about that especially in light of the lack of video evidence which almost exclusively shows ice/cbp ramming people. And given that all of the fed teams have their own videographer (assuming so that they can make socials content) you would think they would have the video.
Unless…they are lying.
- Mason County - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 11:37 am:
JS Mill makes a good point about video evidence. In this day and age one would think there would be some. If not, and none take, law enforcement at all levels should beef this up. Not taking a stand on the overall issue.
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 11:46 am:
–
where I live there are not random piles of rocks lying around.
–
Doncha kno’, the girlfriend of the leader of antifa was driving around the suburbs in a box truck, and leaving random piles of bric… uh, rocks sitting around to be used in these planned aggressions.
It’s the same lies, in a different costume.
- Think again - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 11:51 am:
=car ramming=
This one is close to home for me, where the suspect allegedly rammed an officer’s car into a tree was in the parking lot of St Thomas More, the school my kids went to. Great follow-up by Rick West, local Daily Herald reporter.
- JS Mill - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 11:59 am:
@Norseman +1. Spot on assessment.
- H-W - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 12:21 pm:
=== The police department has been reviewing the body worn camera footage of the officers responding to the community calls for services, along with the numerous videos recording the incident that have been posted on public social media accounts. ===
Occam’s Razor applies here. In the morning briefing, DHS official response is, “we do not have body-worn camera footage from our officers.”
Elgin police video cam only shows ICE and CBP assaulting citizens.
When in doubt, choose the simplest explanation first.
- Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 12:26 pm:
“We are confident in our law enforcement’s intelligence, and we aren’t going to share intelligence reports and undermine national security every time a gang member denies he is one. That would be insane,” McLaughlin said.
An entire administration of Baghdad Bobs crying wolf. If one does ever tell the truth, nobody will believe them.
- Excitable Boy - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 12:27 pm:
- In this day and age one would think there would be some. -
There is, and it consistently shows ICE is lying.
- Think again - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 12:54 pm:
=Elgin police video cam=
Elgin PD is great - love the support from the posters for Local LEO rather than the Feds.
- ArchPundit - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 1:37 pm:
===JS Mill makes a good point about video evidence. In this day and age one would think there would be some. If not, and none take, law enforcement at all levels should beef this up. Not taking a stand on the overall issue.
If the feds admit to having it, it then magically has technical problems. The tell is when it gets to the US Attorney’s office and all of a sudden there are dropped charges. See the comedy club manager this week, but it has happened repeatedly. Getting the video from the feds is very difficult if it doesn’t get to court.
- Glock21 - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 1:50 pm:
It’s instructive to see how DHS and its agencies lie about US Citizens just as easily as they lie about the non-citizens they’re targeting.
I think it’s important to watch how these Federal agencies now behave towards those they claim, without evidence, are “terrorists” or the “enemy.” Especially as they grow bolder in defining their American political opponents and those they deem “undesirable” to be “terrorists” or the “enemy.”
This administration has not been subtle about its desires to turn federal forces and even the military inward on “enemy” states and cities. First they come for those who are easiest to demonize, dehumanize, and with the least protections.
- Thomas Paine - Friday, Dec 12, 25 @ 4:28 pm:
@Norseman -
I think it’s generous to think this is a game of Telephone.
We have sworn court testimony from Bovino admitting he completely fabricated an assault on himself.
We have the DOJ’s own U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois stating that he had sworn affidavits from DHS agents that they were assaulted, he filed charges based on those sworn affidavits, but when DOJ reviewed video of the scene, it was clear the affidavits are false.
I think they moved from “bricks” to “rocks” because local police departments were canvassing the scene of the confrontations and report back “we found no bricks,” and also from video it’s pretty easy to tell if someone has a brick in their hand.
This is the same organization claiming they were injured by a sandwich.