DENVER – The man shot in the head by an immigration officer in Denver last Friday morning had two outstanding warrants and was a prior felon who had been deported before, police records show.
Hector Santana-Arreola, 39, faces an additional first-degree assault charge in Friday’s incident, in which he was grazed in the forehead by a bulletfired by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.
The probable cause statement for Santana-Arreola’s arrest says that ICE agents were surveilling a home in the 12000 block of Albrook Drive, looking for Santana-Arriolla because he was wanted on two outstanding warrants.
Colorado court records confirm that Santana-Arreola has outstanding warrants in Weld and Elbert counties.
He had an active warrant for criminal impersonation, tossing a cigarette on a highway, and driving under restraint out of Elbert County from October 2016.
He also has an active warrant from this February out of Weld County on attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation and careless driving charges.
He also pleaded guilty in January 2014 to sexual contact without consent, a class 1 misdemeanor. In his plea deal, a sex assault on a child charge was dismissed.
On Friday, agents watched Santana-Arreola leave the home on Albrook Drive, and followed him to an area near Huron Street and Louisiana Avenue, according to the probable cause statement.
He initially failed to stop his car, but when he did, he got out and fled on foot. One of the ICE agents said they saw a “silver and blue” object in Santana-Arreola’s hand.
The agents got out of their vehicle and chased after him, according to the probable cause statement, before Santana-Arreola allegedly turned toward the agents “in an aggressive manner.”
Then, according to the probable cause statement, the agents noticed he had a knife in his hand.
The statement says that both ICE agents were “fearful that the suspect was going to use the knife against them,” and that was when one of the agents shot Santana-Arreola, grazing his forehead with the bullet.
Santana-Arreola went to the ground and was arrested. The probable cause statement says the agents recovered “a folding knife/box cutter type weapon” on him at the time, and told officers he was running because he knew he had warrants.
But he denied he was trying to attack the agents.
It’s unclear when Santana-Arreola’s next court appearance will be set.