An Orange County man faces federal charges after allegedly biting the finger of an immigrant official who arrested him in downtown Los Angeles.
It happened at about 9:50 a.m. Tuesday in the U.S. Federal Building, located at 300 North Los Angeles Street, according to a partially edited affidavit released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Maxim Zaithsev, 35, of Costa Mesa, was with his wife when he was detained by the court’s US immigration and customs enforcement officer on a warrant from the Department of Homeland Security.
Zaitsev, a Russian citizen, received a letter last week telling him to appear in a case review at the Los Angeles ice office.
The DOJ says Zaitsev was taken into custody and handcuffed when he arrived for appointment. When an ice agent was taken to walk into the hallway to handle him, Zaitsev was agitated and resisted, and is said to have called out to his wife when he lost weight to the ground.
An Orange County man is accused of trying to get an ice officer to bite the fingers when he was arrested in downtown Los Angeles on February 25, 2025.
During the struggle, he bites one of the ice agents’ left finger, breaks skin and destroys digits, the affidavit says.
Zaitzev was eventually arrested and disposed of and is currently in custody.
He is currently expected to face federal accusations for assaulting federal employees. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
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