Guatemalan Man Sentenced To Prison For Assaulting Border Agent

Sunday, September 8, 2024, 8:30 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

TUCSON, AZ.- An illegal immigrant from Guatemala who tried to enter the United States illegally in August 2023 was sentenced on Tuesday to federal prison for assaulting a Customs and Border Protection Agent as he tried to evade capture in the Arizona desert.

     According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Serra M. Tsethlikai, on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, Pedro Anval Coc-Caal, 22, of Tectitan Huehuetenango, Guatemala, appeared in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 24 months in federal prison.

     Coc-Caal had previously pleaded guilty on June 24, 2024, to Assault on a Federal Agent, Inflicting Bodily Injury; and Improper Entry into the United States by an Alien.

Assaulting Border Patrol Agent

     According to documents filed in the court, on August 12, 2023, a United States Border Patrol Agent was in the process of arresting Coc-Caal for illegal entry into the United States. As the agent attempted to handcuff him, Coc-Caal struck the agent on the left side of the agent’s face, causing the agent’s head to snap downwards and knocking his sunglasses off his face.

     As the agent tried to prevent Coc-Caal from escaping, Coc-Caal kicked the agent in the arm, causing the agent to fall backward onto jagged rocks and causing a severe injury to the agent’s finger.

     Following the altercation, Coc-Caal fled into the desert but was later apprehended following a foot pursuit aided by a helicopter.