Two Ontario surgery center employees who allegedly assaulted federal agents were indicted on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
Highland resident Jose de Jesus Ortega, 38, and Corona resident Danielle Nadine Davila, 33, are charged with one felony count of assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer.
Prosecutors say Ortega and Davila tried to prevent a federal agent from “lawfully detain[ing] an illegal alien fleeing law enforcement” on July 8.
The subject of that foot pursuit had briefly been captured in the surgery center’s parking lot, then broke free and ran inside, officials said.
It was inside the surgery center that Ortega and Davila allegedly tried to protect the man and eject federal agents from the building. The man was eventually taken into custody.
Images shared by the DOJ show Ortega and Davila, both in scrubs, in a confrontation with an agent wearing a full-face balaclava and a tactical vest that reads “POLICE ICE.” DOJ officials added that the agents were in “an unmarked government-operated vehicle.”
Last month, acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli disputed claims that Ortega and Davila were attempting to protect a patient.
“He ran inside for cover and these defendants attempted to block his apprehension by assaulting our agents,” Essayli said. “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you work, if you assault our agents or otherwise interfere with our operations, you will be arrested and charged with a federal crime.”
