Armed, out-of-border patrol agents have been charged with assaulting a Long Beach police officer in a parking lot after an argument at a shoreline village restaurant, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Isaiah Anthony Hodgson, 29, is charged with three felony counts of resisting an executive officer, one felony of battery wounding a peace officer, and each of which shows a publicly concealed firearm, displaying a hidden firearm in a person, and carrying a loaded firearm to one employee.
Hodgson pleaded not guilty and was released on Wednesday on his own recognition. According to the District Attorney’s Office, he was ordered not to leave California and not own a firearm to attend at least three alcohol counseling meetings a week as a condition for his release.
Jail records show he was released Wednesday
The allegations stem from a Monday call to police about a gunman at a Long Beach restaurant.
Armed with a handgun issued by the department, Hodgson entered the Shoreline Village Business woman’s toilet and approached the woman who saw a handgun and firearms magazine and notified the restaurant manager, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
A security guard approached Hodgson outside the restaurant and saw him carry a firearms magazine with firearms in his waistband, prosecutors said. The guard told Hodgson that the firearms were not permitted on property and asked him to leave repeatedly, the DA’s office said.
Long Beach officials confronted Hodgson in the parking lot. Prosecutors said he was “upset, physical” with the officer and injured.
Details regarding the officer’s injuries were not immediately available.
“The actions that Hodgson, an agent of the Border Patrol, who supports the law and is obliged to protect citizens, are unacceptable and deeply troubling,” said district attorney Nathan Hochman. “No one is beyond the law, regardless of his position or badge. Law enforcement officers are always responsible for acting in integrity and professionalism. Our office will pursue prosecutors accordingly to ensure justice.”
Hodgson is scheduled to return to court on Thursday. According to the District Attorney’s Office, he faces a potential seven-year state prison sentence if convicted of being charged.
The NBCLA reached out to the U.S. Border Patrol for comment Friday afternoon.
In an email to the Los Angeles Times, the Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the issue is “under investigation.”
It was not immediately clear whether Hodgson was assigned to an ongoing immigration enforcement project in the Los Angeles area.
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