Driver shot during Portland immigration operation charged with assault: DOJ
The driver who was one of two people shot by a federal agent during immigration enforcement operations in Portland, Oregon, last week allegedly rammed his truck into an unoccupied U.S. Border Patrol vehicle prior to the shooting, according to a federal complaint unsealed on Monday.
Luis Nino-Moncada is charged with aggravated assault of a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon and depredation of federal property in excess of $1,000, according to the federal complaint.
Border Patrol agents attempted to stop his Red Toyota Tacoma on Thursday while conducting a targeted enforcement operation focusing on his passenger, according to the complaint. Both occupants are Venezuelan nationals who allegedly have ties to the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, according to the Department of Homeland Security and Portland police.
According to the complaint, Nino-Moncada appeared "anxious" and was moving around in the driver's seat. After agents commanded them to exit, he allegedly put the vehicle in reverse and struck an unoccupied Border Patrol vehicle, causing "significant damage," according to the complaint.
He then allegedly drove forward and backward multiple times, repeatedly hitting the federal vehicle, according to the complaint, which included several photos of the damaged car.
A Border Patrol agent then fired their service weapon twice at the driver of the truck, according to statements from Border Patrol agents, the complaint said.
Nino-Moncada and the woman fled the scene and agents did not know at the time whether anyone had been hit, according to the complaint.
Border Patrol agents did not pursue the vehicle after it fled, according to the complaint. Nino-Moncada shortly called 911 from an apartment complex several miles from the shooting scene requesting help and Portland Police and medical aid responded, police said.
During an FBI interview, Nino-Moncada allegedly admitted to intentionally ramming the Border Patrol vehicle and acknowledged he knew they were immigration enforcement vehicles, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, there is no body-worn camera footage of the incident and no surveillance or social media video has been found.
Nino-Moncada and his passenger -- identified by DHS as Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras -- remained hospitalized in stable condition, police said Friday.
The complaint alleged that Zambrano-Contreras is known to be involved with a TdA prostitution ring and was allegedly connected to a July shooting tied to a prostitution deal gone bad.
Nino-Moncada, who was previously ordered removed by a judge in Denver in 2024, allegedly drove the woman during her prostitution activities, according to the complaint.
"According to a newly unsealed complaint, Luis Nino-Moncada -- an illegal alien in Portland, Oregon with ties to Tren de Aragua -- is alleged to have repeatedly rammed a Border Patrol vehicle, threatening the lives of federal law enforcement officers," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement on X on Monday. "He should NEVER have been in our country to begin with, and we will ensure he NEVER walks free in America again."
The incident in Portland came a day after an ICE officer shot and killed a woman in her car in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparking outrage and backlash against the presence of federal agents there. Similarly, the mayor of Portland called for immigration enforcement operations to halt while the investigation is ongoing.
In the Minneapolis case, federal officials alleged the motorist tried to run over an agent, who they say then fired defensive shots.
