COLUMBIA, Md. — Howard County Police say a teenager turned himself in on Friday in connection with a hit-and-run incident in Columbia on Tuesday, August 11.
Jimy Samuel Alfaro-Godoy, 18, is being held on multiple traffic charges, according to a spokesperson with the police department.
On that day, at 2:27 p.m., officers responded to the Eataliano Market & Deli following reports of a pedestrian being struck.
Police reported that a driver, now believed to be Alfaro-Godoy, struck a pedestrian and fled the scene.
A witness associated with the business told WMAR-2 News that it was a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who was hit. They reported that ICE was tracking a man in a green Mustang who had pulled into the lot.
According to a spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security, ICE approached Alfaro-Godoy's car to make an arrest during a targeted enforcement operation. After agents identified themselves as ICE officers and gave lawful commands, Alfaro-Godoy appeared to attempt to flee.
Agents attempted to gain access to his car during the escape attempt, but Alfaro-Godoy put his car in drive and drove directly toward the officers.
The DHS spokesperson said one officer jumped out of the way and onto the hood of another car to avoid being hit. Another officer was then pinned between a parked car and Alfaro-Godoy's vehicle, sustaining bodily injury.
Alfaro-Godoy then fled the scene at high speed after striking the ICE officer, evading arrest at the time.
ICE officers attended to the injured officer and called 911. That officer was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
On August 21, the United States Marshals lodged a detainer on behalf of Homeland Security Investigations for Alfaro-Godoy, whom a DHS spokesperson described as a "criminal illegal alien from Honduras," with the Howard County Department of Corrections due to a federal criminal arrest warrant for assault on a federal officer.
The DHS spokesperson stated that on January 29, 2021, Border Patrol arrested Alfaro-Godoy after he allegedly entered the United States illegally near Laredo, Texas. He was reportedly released later by the Biden administration.
"We remind the public that assaulting law enforcement is a felony and crime. While ICE law enforcement works to remove these public safety threats from American communities, they're also facing a 1,300% increase in assaults, a 3,300% increase in vehicle attacks, and an 8,000% increase in death threats. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, ICE is targeting the worst of the worst. Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.," the DHS spokesperson said.
Alfaro-Godoy is currently being held at the Howard County Detention Center without bond.
