An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of shooting a man in the leg in north Minneapolis and then lying about the attack was arrested in Texas Friday morning, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
Christian Castro, 52, was charged on May 18 with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
On Jan. 14, amid Operation Metro SurgeCastro shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg, the criminal complaint says. Charges say that he shot Sosa-Celis, who is a Venezuelan national, through a door of a home while knowing that there were people inside.
Castro, along with another officer involved in the incident, wrongly accused Sosa-Celis and another man of assaulting them with a shovel and broomstick. The Department of Homeland Security repeated the false allegations. The agents were placed on leave for the lie, and federal assault charges against Sosa-Celis and the other man were dropped.
The charges filed earlier this month triggered a nationwide warrant for Castro’s arrest. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators found Castro earlier this week and traveled to Texas, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said. He was taken into custody by DHS agents and Texas Rangers.
“Today’s arrest is a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr. Castro,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “The BCA’s investigative work was instrumental in this process and we’re grateful for their collaboration as we pursue accountability for this incident on behalf of Mr. Sosa-Celis, his family, and our community.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.