ICE Agents Informed Police That the Driver Swerved Toward Them, but Viral Footage Indicates Otherwise | Carscoops

      The agents asserted that a driver in Salt Lake City was aggressive, but video evidence indicates otherwise.

      The footage shows the driver passing by the agents with plenty of space, countering the claims made by ICE.

      After examining the footage, police supported the driver and dismissed the citation issued by ICE.

      On January 26, ICE agents in Salt Lake City sought urgent help from local police after stopping a U.S. citizen for allegedly driving aggressively toward them while they were conducting a traffic stop. However, once video footage of the event became available, it seemed the police sided with the involved driver.

      The incident occurred on S 900 E street as 20-year-old Brandon Colin was exiting Walmart. Upon entering the road, he noticed ICE agents detaining a woman on the side. As he passed the agents, Colin honked his horn and was accused of attempting to strike them—at least, that was the agents' account.

      The Agents’ Accusations Versus Video Footage

      “One of the agents told police, ‘This gentleman right here decided to try and sideswipe us; my partner actually had to pull me out of the way.’ This statement came after the agents pursued Colin and forced him from his car at gunpoint. When officers inquired about what the agents expected to happen, they said they hoped the officers would ‘do something about it.’

      Ultimately, Unified Police communicated to the ICE agents that the situation had a singular path forward. Since the police did not witness the alleged crime, the agents were required to sign legally binding affidavits regarding the incident. Two of the three involved agents refused to comply, leading the police to review local surveillance footage for clarification.

      The Driver's Perspective

      The video confirmed that Colin did pass the agents, maintaining several inches of distance between his vehicle and the agents on the side of the road. Moreover, the footage showed Colin’s Volkswagen was well clear of the adjacent bike lane, making it improbable that he swerved toward the agents as they claimed.

      “During the interaction, the visibly emotional driver expressed distress over alleged threats from the ICE agents. He acknowledged yelling and honking at them but denied swerving,” stated Unified police.

      The department informed FOX 13, “The footage did not show the driver swerving toward the ICE agents. Following this review, UPD dismissed the citation given to the driver. UPD command then reached out to ICE officials to raise concerns about inaccuracies and inconsistencies in their agents’ statements.”

      ICE responded to the incident with the following remarks:

      “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement emphasizes integrity and ethical conduct, and most ICE employees carry out their responsibilities with professionalism and honor. ICE takes all allegations of employee misconduct very seriously. Any claims of misconduct are thoroughly investigated by the relevant agencies, and any employee found guilty of provable misconduct will be held accountable. ICE acts promptly and cooperatively when investigating and collaborating with outside law enforcement agencies on alleged criminal behavior by employees. ICE cannot comment further at this time.”

      At present, it remains uncertain whether any repercussions will result for the agents involved in the incident captured on video. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.