U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A worksite investigation in Salisbury erupted into violence over the weekend when two men allegedly fought with ICE officers — striking agents, trying to run, and even attempting to stab officers with the prongs of a taser, according to federal prosecutors.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced Tuesday, Dec. 2, that a criminal complaint was filed against Anderson Martinez-Montenegro, 28, and Elmer Ortiz-Berduo, 37. Both men are citizens of Guatemala and unlawfully present in the United States, prosecutors said.

The charges stem from a Nov. 29 incident at a Salisbury work site. 

According to court documents, ICE officers approached a work truck and attempted to identify the driver, who “refused to roll down his window.” As officers began to breach the window, the driver agreed to step out.

Prosecutors said Martinez-Montenegro also stepped out of the passenger side. While law enforcement detained him, “he struck one of the officers.”

Ortiz-Berduo, who was sitting in the rear passenger seat, “tried to run away but officers captured him.” According to the complaint, Ortiz-Berduo “refused to comply with orders, as he struck the officers and attempted to stab them with the prongs of a taser that law enforcement deployed.”

ICE officers ultimately subdued and arrested both men.

Martinez-Montenegro and Ortiz-Berduo are charged with resisting arrest and assault on federal officers. 

Each faces a maximum sentence of one year in federal prison for assaulting a federal officer. Prosecutors noted that “actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.”