A routine vehicle stop on Bigelow Street in Quincy turned chaotic late Friday morning when a driver allegedly tried to run over a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, according to the agency. The agent was briefly pinned against a car door near Quincy District Court around 11 a.m., and the driver took off. Authorities say the motorist is still on the run, and officers are looking for a silver Ford Fusion with Massachusetts plates.
ICE's account
In a statement to WCVB, an ICE spokesperson said agents had been conducting "a targeted arrest of an illegal alien who violated our nation's laws" when the incident unfolded. After the stop, the spokesperson said, the driver "tried to run over one of the agents."
According to ICE's account, the agent managed to get out of the immediate path of the car but ended up briefly pinned by the vehicle's door. The spokesperson told the station the agent was expected to be evaluated at a hospital for what were described as minor injuries.
Local police response
Quincy police told NBC10 Boston that officers were dispatched at about 11:17 a.m. for a reported hit-and-run at Bigelow Street and Millerstown Road. According to the station, the department said there were no injuries and no vehicles were towed from the scene. Quincy police directed further questions to the Department of Homeland Security.
BOLO and search
Massachusetts State Police issued a be-on-the-lookout alert for a silver Ford Fusion with Massachusetts plates, WCVB reported. The station said officers searched the area around Quincy District Court, and that few additional details were being released while the investigation remained active.
Legal angle
If investigators conclude the driver tried to hit a federal agent with a vehicle, prosecutors could look to 18 U.S.C. § 111. The federal statute covers assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers and allows for tougher penalties when there is physical contact, an injury, or the use of a dangerous weapon.
Under that law, prosecutors can seek enhanced sentences if a defendant causes bodily harm to a federal officer or uses something that can be treated as a weapon, including a vehicle, as part of the offense.
What’s next
Quincy police and federal authorities say the investigation is ongoing and that no arrests have been made public. NBC10 Boston reported that authorities have asked anyone with information about the incident or the silver Ford Fusion to contact Massachusetts State Police.
