A federal criminal complaint has been filed that claims a DoorDash driver, allegedly in the U.S. illegally, hit an immigration officer with his vehicle’s side mirror while trying to escape a traffic stop. This incident left the driver, 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, shot and has sparked protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to the complaint, which references bodycam footage from the event in Austin, Texas, on September 20, Perez clipped the officer with his vehicle’s mirror as he attempted to flee. The encounter began when immigration officers noticed Perez parked with his hazard lights on and found he had an active deportation order through a database check.
Interestingly, the initial exchange was characterized as “pleasant and not aggressive.” Perez asked the officers if he could wait for his wife to arrive to retrieve his vehicle, but when they refused, he abruptly closed the window and accelerated, reportedly striking one officer in the torso with the side mirror in the process.
After leading officers on a car chase lasting about eight minutes, Perez was shot by an officer who wasn’t wearing a body camera. The other officer, capturing the scene after the shooting, provided video evidence for the complaint.
Perez’s attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, stated that he was seeking asylum and had a valid work permit; however, it expired in 2025. She noted that he missed a deportation hearing because the notice had been sent to his previous address. The Department of Homeland Security maintains that he is an “illegal alien from Venezuela” who entered the country without authorization during the Biden administration and has a final order of removal.
In court on Tuesday, Lincoln-Goldfinch indicated that Perez is still in “extremely bad medical condition” after being shot, and he is requesting surgery to remove the bullet. She hasn’t responded to inquiries regarding the allegations detailed in the complaint.
Perez faces a charge of assaulting, resisting, and impeding a federal officer, which could lead to a maximum of 20 years in prison if he is convicted. He contends that officers collided with his car before he was shot in the back. Following the shooting, Perez was taken into custody after receiving treatment at a hospital.
The complaint includes still images from police footage, but the actual bodycam video has not been released for public viewing.
