José Misael Reyes-Reyes. (Photo: Frederick County Sheriff's Office)
A man in the U.S. illegally, known to be part of a Central American gang, allegedly attacked a sheriff’s deputy in Maryland, punching him through the window of his marked car.
According to a Frederick County Sheriff’s Office press release, Deputy First Class Greg Morton was in the driver’s seat of his cruiser, filling out a report stemming from a minor traffic infraction on Thursday of last week, when José Misael Reyes-Reyes, 18, began banging on the side of the car.
“When DFC Morton turned to look in the direction of the disturbance,” the press release reads, “Reyes-Reyes reached through the front driver’s side window, which was half way down, and struck DFC Morton in the face and neck with his fist.”
Morton then used the car door to push Reyes-Reyes away and threatened him with a Taser.
After being handcuffed, the suspect allegedly continued to struggle to get away and tried to kick the sheriff’s deputy.
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According to the Frederick News-Post, even after backup had arrived on the scene and he was pinned to the ground, Reyes-Reyes yelled out a nearby woman that he was going to kill her.
EMS workers reported to police that Reyes-Reyes seemed to be drunk, arrest documents stated.
Deputy Morton was not seriously injured, Sgt. Paul Colantuno told the News-Post. "He did sustain some injuries, but he was treated and has been released back to full duty," Colantuno said Thursday evening.
According to the sheriff’s office, “Reyes-Reyes is a validated MS13 gang member.” MS13 or the Maras are an international gang begun by Central American immigrants in California.
Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said in the release, “I am very concerned and disturbed that a deputy was the target of this unprovoked assault, and I am very concerned with what is going on across the country with law enforcement being targeted. The current climate is placing a great amount of stress on law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties.”
Reyes-Reyes was previously arrested in June and May of this year, and at that time it was determined, according to the sheriff’s office, that he was in the country illegally and had been released on a bond by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pending a deportation hearing.
Reyes-Reyes was charged with second-degree assault, including of a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, two counts of disorderly intoxication and other charges stemming for the incident.
He is being held on $10,000 bond and an ICE detainment order. His bail was initially set at $7,500, but was raised at his bond review, according to Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Maj. Tim Clarke.
In his statement Sheriff Jenkins added, “This could have been a more serious situation and it should be noted that Dfc. Morton demonstrated great restraint in his reaction to the attack by Reyes-Reyes.”
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