Feds charge man with shooting at ICE agents during human trafficking raid

A Cleveland, Ohio, man was charged in federal court Monday after allegedly shooting at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who were serving a search warrant last week.

According to an ICE press release, 34-year-old Reuben Rankin has been charged with one count of assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

The criminal complaint says that ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents were trying to serve the warrant on Wednesday when they noted six shots from a nearby vehicle. It adds that Rankin was arrested after he fled the vehicle, inside which investigators found a .45-caliber handgun and six spent shell casings.

Federal authorities said last week that the warrant and associated raid were in relation to a human trafficking investigation. A spokesman said that the agents returned fire and that nobody was harmed in the exchange.

“This defendant is alleged to have shot at federal and local law enforcement during the execution of a search warrant,” U.S. attorney Justin Herdman said in a statement. “We are grateful that no law enforcement officer was injured, and we stand by this very simple point – if you shoot at law enforcement investigating federal crimes, you can expect swift and severe charges in federal court.”

“The attempted shooting of HSI special agents is a stark reminder of the dangers associated with serving in law enforcement today,” said Vance Callender, HSI special agent in charge for Michigan and Ohio. “My agents rightfully defended themselves, protecting their fellow officers and the citizenry.

The Justice Department's statement says that, if the defendant is convicted, the sentence "will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case."

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