CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Prosecutors dismissed the charges against a U.S. citizen who took pictures of border patrol agents and led law enforcement on a low-speed chase during the Charlotte's Web operation in November.
On Monday, prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the case against 24-year-old Miguel Angel Garcia Martinez. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell granted the dismissal.
The case was being prosecuted by US Attorney Russ Ferguson's office, a President Trump appointee.
"We continually evaluate cases as they progress. Sometimes that means we add charges, but where it is just and proper to dismiss a case, we won't hesitate to do so," a spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office wrote in an email to WBTV.
WBTV previously reported on video taken by ICE agents who were participating in the chase involving Martinez.
It showed ICE agents calling the chase "fun" and calling for law enforcement to "smash" into Martinez's car.
"Hit him, guys! Why are you afraid of him? He's going to kill someone!" one of the ICE agents yelled at one point during the chase.
Martinez was initially facing several charges related to the chase involving border patrol agents and ICE, including felony assault. During Martinez's initial hearing, the prosecution struggled to convince the court that Martinez intentionally assaulted federal agents.
The last charge Martinez was facing was for assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, and interfering with persons performing official duties.
The video taken by ICE agents and shown in federal court last year raised questions about the vehicle collision leading to the assault charge.
The video showed the vehicle driven by ICE agents moving at 25-35 mph during most of the chase.
The assault that law enforcement alleged in the indictment against Martinez turned out to be a moment (2:54 mark of the video) where Martinez's car briefly collided with an ICE vehicle. Moments before the collision, agents were discussing ramming Martinez’s van.
Federal agents claimed that Martinez was attempting to ram them instead of the other way around.
The affidavit leading to the initial charges said Martinez took pictures of Border Patrol agents in a post office parking lot and then followed them into a bowling alley parking lot and took more pictures. Martinez then allegedly followed agents to a Pull-A-Part auto parts store, circled parked Border Patrol vehicles twice, and took more pictures.
WBTV reached out to Martinez's attorneys for a comment, but had not received a response by publication of this report.