Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 30 august 2017
Mexican smuggler who hit US agent with rock gets 8-year term

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A notori- mountains of eastern San San Ysidro border crossing cial gain. A federal judge ing agents, threatening
ous Mexican human smug- Diego County in Novem- that connects San Diego handed down a sentence and intimidating people he
gler who hit a U.S. Border ber 2015. As agents moved to Tijuana. The agent was Monday of eight years smuggled, and driving the
Patrol agent in the face in, Valencia-Cortez ran to disoriented and thought and three months in prison, wrong way on streets and
with a rock two years ago higher ground. He hurled a he would pass out. He re- the San Diego Union-Tri- freeways to evade arrest,
after a foiled smuggling at- softball-sized rock, striking ceived treatment for cuts bune newspaper reported officials said.
tempt in Southern Califor- an agent in the face, the and bruises, according to (http://bit.ly/2vGiI3K ). Less than two months be-
nia was sentenced Mon- U.S. Border Patrol said. court documents and trial During his time as a fugitive, fore the rock assault, Va-
day to more than eight Valencia-Cortez ran back testimony. Valencia-Cor- Border Patrol officials called lencia-Cortez was deport-
years in prison. Agents spot- across the U.S.-Mexico tez, 39, was convicted in Valencia-Cortez one of ed to Mexico after serving
ted Martel Valencia-Cortez border and escaped but May of assault on a federal San Diego’s most danger- a sentence of nearly three
as he smuggled 14 people turned himself in to authori- officer and three counts of ous human smugglers. years in prison for human
through rocky terrain in the ties six months later at the human smuggling for finan- He was known for assault- smuggling.q

Charlottesville suspect arrested in Georgia to be extradited

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) education instructional as- has said Borden’s family ex-
— A man wanted in con- sistant, attended the rally pects him to be exonerat-
nection with the beating of with friends to show his op- ed. Merritt said he intended
a black man in Charlottes- position to the white nation- to file a federal civil rights
ville on the day of a white alist groups, his attorney, S. lawsuit against all parties
nationalist rally turned him- Lee Merritt, said. responsible for the attack
self in to authorities in Geor- A member of Harris’ group in the coming weeks.
gia and will be extradited began arguing with a Ramos and Borden were
to Virginia, officials said. white supremacist over a identified through the ef-
Alex Michael Ramos, 33, Confederate flag, Merritt forts of journalist and ac-
surrendered Monday eve- said in a statement. Harris tivist Shaun King, who has
ning at the Monroe County intervened just as the white been posting photos and
Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Lawson supremacist attempted video of the assault on so-
Bittick told The Associated to spear his friend with the cial media and offered a
Press on Tuesday. flag’s pole, the statement reward, Merritt said.
Ramos faces one count of said. Harris tried to retreat “With information includ-
malicious wounding in the but was pushed to the ing affiliated organizations,
attack on DeAndre Har- ground by a man holding clear photographs, and re-
ris, which was captured a shield with the symbol of cordings, it is disappointing
in photos and video that a white supremacist group, that the combined efforts
went viral. The Aug. 12 at- and the group of men of federal and local agen-
tack by a group of men swarmed him, beating him cies have failed to lead
left him with a concussion, with blunt objects, accord- to either the identification
abrasions and contusions ing to the statement. or arrest of additional sus-
across his body, as well as This image shows Alex Michael Ramos. Ramos has been Another man accused in pects,” Merritt said in the
a head laceration that re- charged in connection with the beating of a black man during the beating, Daniel Bor- statement.
quired staples, a knee injury violent clashes in Charlottesville the day of a white nationalist den, 18, of suburban Cin- Meanwhile, a Ku Klux Klan
and a fractured wrist, ac- rally on Aug. 12, 2017. cinnati, appeared by member charged with fir-
cording to his attorney. (Monroe County SO via AP) video Tuesday and de- ing a gun during the rally re-
Ramos agreed to be ex- if he had obtained an at- Ramos also said he is not a clined to waive extradition mained in Baltimore Coun-
tradited to Virginia during torney. white nationalist. to Virginia, where he also ty pending extradition.
a hearing Tuesday, said In an interview with Atlanta “I was there because, faces a charge of mali- Randy Mentzell, the county
Kathy Barfield, deputy clerk TV station WGCL, Ramos pretty much, I’m a con- cious wounding. Hamilton Department of Correc-
of the Monroe County said that he hit Harris once servative. ... There were County Magistrate Michael tion’s commitment man-
Magistrate Court. and that others beat him some non-racist members Bachman set bond at ager, said she didn’t know
Bittick said Ramos is an with sticks and shields. He who were going to a free $100,000 and scheduled a when Richard Preston, 52,
unemployed construction called the incident “a de- speech rally,” he said. Sept. 29 hearing. would be transported to
worker, and he didn’t know fensive attack.” Harris, a 20-year-old special Attorney Greg Berberich Virginia.q

Charging decision expected in police shooting by year’s end

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A sure to make a decision e-mails and phone calls typically takes four to six mar Clark, who was fatally
prosecutor in Minnesota about the death of Jus- from members of the com- months, Freeman said. shot by police in Novem-
says he expects to decide tine Damond, a 40-year- munity demanding that we The fatal shooting of Da- ber 2015. The two officers
by the end of the year old Australian native killed charge the officer immedi- mond, who was engaged involved in that case were
whether to charge a Min- by Officer Mohamed Noor ately and ascribing all kinds to be married, has drawn not prosecuted.
neapolis police officer who last month. Damond had of nefarious reasons as to international attention “We will follow that prac-
fatally shot a woman who called police to report a why we haven’t done so,” since the July 15 shooting. tice in this case,” Freeman
called 911 about a possible possible assault and met of- Freeman said. “The truth is, Freeman broke precedent said in his statement. “So,
sexual assault in her neigh- ficers in an alley behind her we are following the same with the standard practice once the file is turned over
borhood. home where Noor shot her. procedure we have with of having a grand jury to to our office, I will thorough-
Hennepin County Attor- Noor has not commented the three previous officer- decide whether officers ly review the investigation
ney Mike Freeman said in publicly about why he shot involved shootings.” would be charged in po- with several of our most se-
a statement that his office Damond. An investigation and re- lice shootings when he nior prosecutors and make
has received public pres- “We have received some view of a police shooting reviewed the death of Ja- a decision.”q