DoorDash driver shot in back by ICE agents charged with assault for striking officer with side mirror

From the Newshound archive · first published 29 September 2026 · last updated 30 September 2026.

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, a Venezuelan DoorDash driver, still has an unremoved bullet lodged in his back from the September 20 shooting, yet federal prosecutors charged him on Tuesday with assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer. ICE agents had been pursuing him over a removal order and described the initial contact as 'pleasant', before he allegedly closed his window, drove off and struck an officer in the torso with his side mirror. A conviction carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

His lawyers said they had no knowledge of Tuesday's court appearance until after it had already taken place.

Conflicting accounts lie at the heart of the case: Garces Perez maintains that an ICE SUV struck his vehicle first, while agents deny any initial contact between the vehicles.

During the chase, one ICE officer turned off his body camera — a detail expected to intensify calls for a full independent review.