This week, the United States Attorney’s Office quietly dismissed a case against an American citizen accused of resisting arrest by Border Patrol, according to court documents reviewed by L.A. TACO.
Javier Ramirez was arrested on June 12 at a mechanic shop in Montebello.
Surveillance video footage shows that several masked federal agents quickly walked onto the property and began detaining employees in the parking lot.
In a viral video shared widely on social media, Ramirez is seen on the ground in handcuffs and repeatedly telling the agents that he’s an American citizen.
“I got my passport, I got my passport,” Ramirez said loudly.
After being taken into custody, Brian Gavidia, the owner of the mechanic shop, followed his location on his phone, but he lost him within half an hour.
Gavidia told L.A. TACO that he worried about his friend, Ramirez, because he’s diabetic and he didn’t know if he had his insulin or anything to eat.
Gavidia was also detained during the raid, but he was not taken into custody, he said. The business owner told L.A. TACO that federal agents repeatedly asked him what hospital he was born in, and they “busted his face and made his head bleed” during the detainment.
In a criminal complaint filed on June 13, a border patrol agent accused Ramirez of “attempting to conceal himself between two nearby vehicles,” while they “engaged in a consensual encounter” with another person. The agent believed that Ramirez's actions were “suspicious.”
Ramirez then allegedly ran towards the agent, who was standing near the entrance of the parking lot, and collided with them. The impact of the collision allegedly threw the border patrol agent “off balance” and caused the agent’s phone to fall to the ground.
When the agent questioned Ramirez about his citizenship, the feds claimed that Ramirez refused to talk to them, despite video footage showing that Ramirez repeatedly told agents he had his passport on him.
The agent also accused Ramirez of resisting arrest and biting them on their left thigh, according to the complaint.
Ramirez was eventually taken into custody and transported to the Federal Detention Center on Alameda Street in Downtown Los Angeles. During processing, the federal agent who arrested Ramirez confirmed that he is an American citizen, according to the complaint.
On June 16, Ramirez was released on bond.
Three weeks later, on July 6, the United States Attorney’s Office filed a motion to drop the charges against Ramirez.
Court Watch News first reported that the case against Ramirez was dismissed.
