Pubdate: Sat, 27 Oct 2007
Source: Sierra Vista Herald (AZ)
Copyright: 2007 Sierra Vista Herald
Contact:  http://www.svherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1379
Author: Jonathon Shacat

RAMMING AGENTS' VEHICLES PART OF A A 'PATTERN' PRIOR TO  AND DURING 
BORDER SHOOTING INCIDENT

DOUGLAS - An Immigration and Customs Enforcement  spokesman said the 
alleged drug smuggler shot by an  officer on Thursday belongs to a 
drug trafficking  organization that has resorted to ramming law 
enforcement vehicles a total of three times in four  days in order to 
escape apprehension in the Douglas  area.

An ICE officer shot Ramon Davalos-Lopez, 41, on  Thursday because he 
was driving a stolen pickup truck  in a manner that was endangering 
the lives of law  enforcement officials pursuing him, said Carol 
Capas,  spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff's Office.

Vincent Picard, public affairs officer for ICE, said a  suspected 
smuggler from the same organization rammed  pursuing Border Patrol 
units while fleeing back to  Mexico on Monday, and a smuggler 
intentionally rammed a  Douglas police officer's truck to evade 
authorities on  Wednesday.

"There is definitely a pattern," he said during a phone  interview Friday.

Thursday's incident started when Davalos-Lopez began  traveling at a 
high rate of speed and erratically  driving through residential 
neighborhoods and school  zones while fleeing agents of ICE, Border 
Patrol and  Douglas Police Department.

"After agents attempted to stop the vehicle with tire  deflation 
devices, the driver of the vehicle drove  towards the patrol vehicles 
and agents in a threatening  manner before continuing northbound," 
Capas said in a  press release on Friday.

"One of the ICE agents was able to position his vehicle  in front of 
the suspect while Border Patrol agents were  behind it. After 
determining the suspect was further  endangering the law enforcement 
agents, the ICE agent  fired his service weapon striking the suspect 
in the  right arm," she continues.

Once the vehicle was stopped, Davalos-Lopez was treated  for 
non-life-threatening wounds and airlifted to a  Tucson hospital for 
treatment. He was arrested by ICE.

The incident ended near mile post 4 on Geronimo Trail  east of 
Douglas. The Sheriff's Office was advised of  the incident at about 
1:45 p.m. Thursday.

Mile post 4 is located in a rural area. Geronimo Trail  is paved 
eastbound until around mile post 2, at which  point it becomes a gravel road.

The only items that remained at the scene Friday  morning were some 
yellow police tape, six surgical  gloves, some gauze and four 
1-gallon plastic bottles  that were half filled with water.

Following the incident, authorities discovered more  than 1,000 
pounds of marijuana in the truck driven by  Davalos-Lopez, Picard said.

The vehicle was recovered by the Sheriff's Office and  will be kept 
until the conclusion of the investigation,  Capas said.
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