ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Video circulating on social media this week showed what appeared to be ICE officers detaining and tasing a man inside an Albuquerque, New Mexico Walmart.
On Thursday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed the incident did happen, saying a man from Venezuela, who was in the country illegally, fled from officers into the crowded retail store.
The video shared with affiliate KRQE showed three people, two of whom had masks on and visible tactical vests, attempting to detain a man at the end of an aisle inside the Walmart store.
One of the officers used a Taser, and the man could be heard yelling and screaming before falling to the floor.
ICE said the man they were after resisted arrest and “posed an immediate threat to the safety of agents, shoppers, and employees.”
Officers deployed the Taser while attempting to detain the man to “mitigate that threat and prevent further escalation,” ICE said in an email statement to KRQE, adding that “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and officers are trained to employ force judiciously and in accordance with agency policy and federal standards.”
An ICE spokesperson said the Venezuelan man had recently been arrested by the Albuquerque Police Department for driving under the influence, resisting arrest, evading police and obstructing an officer.
“Given this pattern of behavior this individual is considered a danger to the community. These decisions are never made lightly, but officer safety and the protection of the public remain top priorities,” ICE wrote in its statement.
KRQE reached out to the Albuquerque Police Department for more information on the man and his alleged prior arrest as well as to Walmart for comment on the incident.
