A federal judge in San Diego has sentenced 21-year-old Roberto Carlos Galeana-Guatemala to 33 months in prison after he struck a federal officer with his car and fled during an attempted immigration arrest in National City last November, then led agents on a second chase before his capture in City Heights.
The confrontation began around 4:30 a.m. on November 12, 2025, when members of the Homeland Security Task Force approached Galeana-Guatemala in National City to arrest him, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The agents' vehicle had its emergency lights on, and the agents wore badges and patches identifying them as law enforcement, per the same report. Prosecutors say Galeana-Guatemala reversed away from the agents' vehicle, made a distinct movement toward a group of agents, and then struck one of them with his car before fleeing.
The injured agent may have sustained a sternum fracture and contusions, according to the Union-Tribune's reporting.
A Second Chase Ends in City Heights
Galeana-Guatemala was spotted later that day in City Heights, the Union-Tribune reports. Federal officers tracked him to the 3800 block of Fairmount Avenue, where he attempted a foot pursuit before officers arrested him, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He ran from officers before finally being taken into custody in the neighborhood, according to the newspaper's account of the case.
The arrest capped an already dangerous day that began with the vehicle assault in National City.
Prior Deportation and Smuggling Conviction
Galeana-Guatemala was a convicted human smuggler and had previously been removed from the country. He was being sought on a judicial arrest warrant when the Homeland Security Task Force approached him in National City.
That task force conducted the operation.
Guilty Plea and a Defense Rooted in Past Trauma
Galeana-Guatemala pleaded guilty this year to federal charges including assault on a federal officer, according to the Union-Tribune. U.S. District Judge Cathy Bencivengo ruled that Galeana-Guatemala knew the agents were law enforcement when he fled, the newspaper reports, rejecting arguments that he had not understood who was confronting him.
His defense attorney, Shaun Sullivan, said Galeana-Guatemala did not intend to hurt anyone during his flight, according to the Union-Tribune's account. Sullivan attributed his client's reaction in part to a terrifying armed carjacking years earlier, during which Galeana-Guatemala was cornered and shot — circumstances the newspaper described as eerily parallel to the National City incident.
Sentence Falls Well Below Statutory Maximum
Bencivengo ultimately sentenced Galeana-Guatemala to 33 months in custody, a term the Union-Tribune reported as nearly three years in prison.
The felony case is in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Federal Enforcement Tensions Persist in City Heights
Hoodline reported on July 25 that a confrontation involving a federal truck occurred near Fairmount Avenue and Maple Avenue.
The case involved assault on a federal officer, attempted assault on a federal officer, and being a deported alien found in the United States after the National City confrontation. The case has since concluded with his federal sentencing and a 33-month prison term.
