He ran, but he couldn’t hide.
The military veteran charged with shooting at officers during an ambush on an ICE detention facility in north Texas earlier this month managed to avoid capture for a week by relying on his former roommate as a getaway driver, donning a new Walmart outfit, and using the alias “champagne,” according to court documents.
Benjamin Hanil Song, a 32-year-old former Marine Corps Reservist from Dallas, reportedly used two AR-15 style rifles to shoot at three Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during the July 4th attack at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, as detailed in the charging documents.
Song is also accused of purchasing four of the firearms used by other members of the mob in the anti-ICE attack.
The day after the incident, Song’s roommate, John Thomas, purportedly convened with three other people at the Days Inn Hotel in Cleburne to discuss the shooting and strategize on how to move Song out of the vicinity, as revealed by court records.
Thomas then allegedly picked up Song, who was believed to have been hiding in the woods until the evening of July 5.
The alleged accomplice drove the getaway car to a home in Dallas he had been housesitting, according to the court documents.
Thomas, who went by the nickname “Roy, come and get this cat,” allegedly used a Signal chat to facilitate Song’s escape.
Lynette Sharp, a woman who went by the nicknames “hippie” and “candied dynamite,” used a Signal chat to have Thomas hand off Song to another individual, according to the court documents.
Sharp had earlier told members of the group that she couldn’t join them at the ICE detention center due to “family problems,” but volunteered to monitor their chat and send cash.
The day after the deranged attack, a group chat administrator removed Song, whom he referred to as “champagne,” from the conversation.
Cops searched Thomas’ Dallas home on July 8.
He initially denied knowing Song, but eventually caved and admitted he’s known the alleged shooter since 2022.
Cops also found a loaded 30-round AR-15 magazine and a receipt from a shopping trip Thomas went on to purchase new clothes for Song two days after the shooting, according to the court documents.
Both Thomas and Sharp have been charged with accessory after the fact.
The assailants allegedly wore military-style gear, including tactical vests, as they launched fireworks at the detention facility near Dallas before spraying bullets at a local cop and two unarmed federal agents, according to the court documents.
One member of the mob fired 20 to 30 rounds at two detention center employees, prosecutors said. An Alvarado cop was also shot in the neck by a suspect who was hiding in the woods.
The attackers fled the scene, allegedly leaving assault rifles and loaded magazines outside the detention center.
Cops found cans of spray paint and flyers stating, “FIGHT ICE TERROR WITH CLASS WAR!” and “FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS,” and a flag stating, “RESIST FACISM – FIGHT OLIGARCHY” after searching the suspects and their vehicles.
Chilling photos taken at the scene show “traitor” and “ice pig” spray-painted on official vehicles.
“Make no mistake, this was not a peaceful protest,” said local Acting US Attorney Nancy E. Larson. “This increasing trend of violence against law enforcement will not be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas.”
Police initially collared 10 suspects — Maricela Rueda, Cameron Arnold, Savannah Batten, Nathan Baumann, Zachary Evetts, Joy Gibson, Bradford Morris, Seth Sikes, Elizabeth Soto and Ines Soto — who each face three counts of attempted murder and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
Rueda’s husband Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada was also arrested after he allegedly helped hide evidence at her request.
She allegedly called her husband from jail and instructed him to do “whatever you need to do, move whatever you need to move at the house,” according to court documents.
Following Song’s capture, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons congratulated cops for getting the “wannabe-killer … off the streets.”
“It’s horrifying that dangerous rhetoric, often spread by elected officials, has brought us to this point, but let this be an example to other people planning on terrorizing federal law enforcement officers: If you attack the brave men and women protecting this nation from dangerous criminal aliens, we will arrest you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
Song faces three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
