DHS says Sousa-Martins "weaponized his vehicle" and officers "defensively fired their service weapons"
U.S. Department of Homeland SecurityOfficial account of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
DHS said the driver refused to turn off the engine, tried to flee, rammed ICE vehicles and then drove "directly at ICE officers", and that the officers "defensively fired their service weapons" out of fear for their lives and public safety, striking the driver.
Responding to
Sousa-Martins rammed several ICE vehicles and then drove his van directly at ICE officers in an attempt to run them over, and the officers fired defensively because they feared for their lives and public safety.
“Officers approached the vehicle and instructed Sousa-Martins to turn off the engine. The driver refused and attempted to flee, then weaponized his vehicle and began ramming his van into several ICE vehicles. He then drove his van directly at ICE officers, attempting to run them over. Fearing for their lives and public safety, the ICE officers defensively fired their service weapons, striking the driver.”
Original post
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was ICE justified in shooting Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins in Glen Burnie, Maryland?
On December 24, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stopped a white work van driven by Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and fired at it, wounding him. The Department of Homeland Security said that day that he refused to turn off the engine, rammed ICE vehicles and drove directly at officers, and that they fired defensively; it also said a passenger in his van was injured. On January 8, 2026, Anne Arundel County police said the injured passenger was already in custody in an ICE vehicle, and DHS then said he was in one of the ICE vehicles. An FBI affidavit says two ICE officers fired, one about one to two shots and the other multiple shots, and attributes to them accounts that the van moved toward officers at speed and that one believed he would be struck, while Sousa-Martins told the FBI he drove away because he believed he would be shot. He pleaded guilty on April 27 to destroying government property, and a count of resisting or interfering with federal officers was dismissed. The dispute is whether the officers' decision to fire was warranted by the threat they faced, and whether DHS's account of the encounter was accurate.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
The Department of Homeland Security's first public account of the shooting, posted on its verified X account. It names the driver and a passenger and says the passenger was injured when the van crashed. Anne Arundel County police later said the passenger was already in custody in an ICE vehicle.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Contemporaneous report of the preliminary information Anne Arundel County police gave on December 24 and of the DHS statement. The police department later described its December 24 information as preliminary.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Anne Arundel County police had said earlier that day that ICE agents fired at a white van after it attempted to run agents over.
After the quotation
The post said the passenger was injured when the van crashed, and that both men were hospitalized in stable condition.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the officers' decision to fire on the van and DHS's account of it. DHS presents the shooting as a defensive response to a driver who was ramming vehicles and driving at officers, which defends the conduct. Challenges the characterization loses because DHS states the threat warranted the shooting.
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More from this case
Read the full caseAttorney Alice Barrett says ICE's use of lethal force against Sousa-Martins "was excessive and dangerous"
“This plea agreement and the hearing at which he was sentenced don't change anything about the bottom line of his case, which is that ICE's use of lethal force against him was excessive and dangerous”Read statement
Magistrate Judge Austin says the court has "some skepticism about some of what the government has presented"
“The court has some skepticism about some of what the government has presented based on some individuals who have not been identified or appeared in court ... This would not be the first case where an affidavit was found not to adequately capture the circumstances”Read statement
Van Hollen says "DHS lied about the circumstances surrounding a nonfatal shooting" in Maryland
“In my State of Maryland, DHS lied about the circumstances surrounding a nonfatal shooting, and they were exposed in their lies because of a local county investigation that showed that DHS was plain wrong.”Read statement
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- DHS says Sousa-Martins "weaponized his vehicle" and officers "defensively fired their service weapons"
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The Dispute Index. "DHS says Sousa-Martins "weaponized his vehicle" and officers "defensively fired their service weapons"". First published: 2026-09-25. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/2576-dhs-said-the-driver-refused-to-turn-off