Man Spit on ICE Agent While Being Detained for Reentering US After Being Deported: US Attorney

A 41-year-old man living in Los Angeles has been charged with assaulting a federal officer after allegedly spitting on an ICE agent while being arrested for reentering the U.S. illegally, federal prosecutors said.

Omar Pulido Bastida, a Mexican national previously deported from the United States, had already been charged earlier this year with illegal reentry, according to the United States Attorney's Office.

The man was living in the Historic South Central neighborhood of Los Angeles at the time of the incident. On Tuesday morning, ICE agents arrived at Pulido's home with a warrant tied to the illegal reentry case.

After identifying himself from the second-story balcony, Pulido reportedly insulted the officer. When he later opened the front door, separated by an iron security gate, he told the agent, "I know my rights. I'm calling my lawyer," and then allegedly spit through the gate, hitting the officer in the face.

ICE agents entered the home shortly after and found Pulido hiding in a second-floor storage room. He surrendered and was taken into custody. A federal magistrate ordered him detained, with arraignment scheduled for July 16 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

Pulido now faces one felony count of assaulting a federal employee, which carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. The investigation is ongoing, and the case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office's Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section.