A jury found a man guilty of dragging a federal officer with his car outside his Bloomington home while trying to evade an immigration arrest in June, according to federal prosecutors.
Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, 40, was convicted on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul for the assault that unfolded as federal law enforcement officers say they were trying to arrest him on an immigration order.
According to the federal complaint, law enforcement officials stopped Munoz-Guatemala about 8 a.m. on June 17 and asked him to lower his window and open his door. Munoz-Guatemala rolled the window “one-third” of the way down, the charges said, but no lower. After repeated orders, an Enforcement and Removal Operations officer used a tool to break the rear window and reach inside to unlock the door, the court record said.
With the officer’s arm still inside, Munoz-Guatemala put the vehicle in drive and accelerated onto the curb. The officer was dragged at least 50 yards with his arm pinned between the seat and car frame. The officer required 20 stitches for a deep cut in his right arm and another 13 stitches in his left hand, the complaint said.
Munoz-Guatemala’s attorney, Eric Newmark, told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Wednesday that he has no comment at this time.
According to federal prosecutors, Munoz-Guatemala was convicted of repeated sexual abuse of a minor in Hennepin County District Court in 2022. Upon his arrest in that case, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a detainer for Munoz-Guatemala but he was later released by local law enforcement.
Court records filed upon Munoz-Guatemala’s arrest originally listed him as a citizen of Guatemala, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security later said he is from Mexico.
Court records do not state a sentencing date for Munoz.
