Federal government drops charges against U.S. citizen arrested by ICE in Linda Vista
Two other U.S. citizens are still facing charges of assaulting a federal agent.
Written by Kate Morrissey, Edited by Lauren J. Mapp
A federal judge has dismissed the case against one U.S. citizen arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Linda Vista in early July.
The federal government had previously charged Raul Kuilon, along with two other U.S. citizens and a Guatemalan man, with assaulting a federal agent while Kuilon was witness to an ICE operation in an apartment complex on July 2. Bystander video that surfaced showed ICE officials grabbing Kuilon and dragging him inside police perimeter tape. They appeared to tackle him to the ground.
Kuilon and the other U.S. citizens were held overnight at the San Ysidro Port of Entry before a judge ordered their release from custody.
Kuilon later appeared in court with his arm in a cast.
In a court filing, U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said that dropping the charges was “in the interests of justice.”
“Since this case was filed, the United States has received additional information that has caused the pursuit of this prosecution to be reevaluated,” Gordon said.
Judge Dana Sabraw signed off on the request in another court filing.
The U.S. Attorney's office already dropped the charges against the Guatemalan man, and the cases for the other two U.S. citizens are still pending.
