BALTIMORE — A law firm representing two individuals taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in front of Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School in June has provided an account of the incident that disputes ICE's claims about what occurred.
Eldridge Crandell, LLC, says it has compiled a timeline of events pertaining to the arrest with the help of eyewitness statements.
WMAR-2 News reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment and is waiting to hear back.
The incident occurred early in the morning on June 12.
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According to the law firm, at 7 a.m., Jesus Acevedo-Sanchez, along with his wife Adriana and their two young daughters, left their home to take the children to school. Before arriving at the school, they stopped at Dunkin' Donuts.
After exiting the drive-thru near the intersection of Dundalk Avenue and O'Donnell Street, an unmarked car allegedly swerved in front of their vehicle, forcing Jesus to brake suddenly.
The law firm says an armed individual dressed entirely in black exited the vehicle and pointed a firearm at Jesus before shattering the driver's side window.
Fearing for his life and believing he and his family were under attack, Jesus attempted to escape by putting his car in reverse, according to the law firm.
However, a second vehicle struck the family's car from behind, prompting Jesus to maneuver around the median and drive toward Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School to seek safety.
As the family approached the school, they saw police lights, which led Jesus to believe the armed individuals might be federal agents rather than unknown attackers.
After stopping the vehicle, agents approached, shattered the remaining glass, and forcibly removed Jesus from the car.
The law firm says Jesus was tackled to the ground and taken into custody.
Jesus was later taken into custody with multiple injuries to his leg and face, according to the law firm.
Lawyers claim an agent told Adriana to "Put your hands behind your back so we don't do to you what we're doing to your husband—or worse."
She was also arrested, and placed in a separate vehicle.
In a statement issued the day after the arrest, DHS said it coordinated with school officials and the Governor's Office to ensure the situation was resolved safely.
MORE: Baltimore City Schools denies ICE claims of coordination during arrest
However, Baltimore City Public Schools denied these coordination claims.
"Based on the video we have reviewed and firsthand accounts from staff and families, we have questions about ICE's characterization of events. Significantly, Baltimore City Public Schools did not coordinate with ICE during Thursday's incident at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School," said Sherry Christian, City Schools spokesperson.
DHS stated that Jesus refused commands and violently resisted arrest.
"Jesus Acevedo-Sanchez refused lawful commands, violently resisted arrest, and used his vehicle to evade law enforcement, dragging an ICE officer in the process. He later fled into the vicinity of a local elementary school before officers safely took him into custody," DHS said in a statement.
The law firm said court filings produced by ICE lawyers state that neither Jesus nor Adriana had any prior encounters with U.S. law enforcement, including ICE, and that neither individual assaulted or attempted to assault any ICE agents during the incident.
They added that the officer who was dragged allegedly fell at the intersection of Dundalk Avenue and O'Donnell Street.
"Jesus and Adriana are hardworking, loving parents. Their children have been traumatized by witnessing their arrest. We are deeply troubled by the level of force used during this incident and the false public statements from a federal agency made afterward. What happened to Jesus and Adriana raises serious questions about ICE's enforcement practices in our community and furthers the erosion of public trust in our institutions," Eldridge Crandell, LLC said.
"Eldridge Crandell is continuing to investigate the incident and is evaluating all legal options to ensure accountability and protect our clients' rights."
DHS says Acevedo now faces federal charges for resisting and impeding federal officers and destruction of government property.
