Armed suspect steals police car during domestic disturbance in Henry County

The Brief
An armed suspect stole a police vehicle during a domestic disturbance investigation in Henry County.
The officer discharged their weapon, but no injuries were reported, and the suspect was taken into custody.
The police car was recovered in the same neighborhood, and the investigation is ongoing.
HENRY COUNTY, Ga. - A Henry County police officer opened fire on an armed suspect who stole a patrol car during a domestic disturbance investigation Friday, authorities said.
What we know
The incident occurred along Field View Drive in the Simpson Mill Plantation subdivision. According to the Henry County Police Department, officers were responding to a domestic disturbance when an armed individual took control of a police vehicle.
What they're saying
"We had an officer involved shooting involving an armed suspect who stole a police car while police were investigating a domestic disturbance," said Captain Randy Lee of the department's Internal Affairs Division. "No one was injured and the police car was recovered in the same neighborhood. The suspect was taken into custody and is currently being questioned by detectives."
The department confirmed the officer discharged their weapon during the encounter, but no injuries were reported.
What we don't know
The investigation remains ongoing.
The Source
The Henry County Police Department is the source of this article.

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We asked experts whether ICE agents can arrest people without warrants or not. Here's what we learned

On June 17, 2025, New York City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a courthouse. Lander was there observing immigration court hearings and volunteering with a group that accompanied immigrants out of the building, a practice volunteers say provides comfort and witnesses in case immigrants are detained by law enforcement. His arrest happened after he linked arms with an individual named Edgardo whom ICE agents were attempting to detain while the latter attended a hearing. When an agent accused Lander of "obstructing" them, he said, "You don't have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens [...] I'm not obstructing. I'm standing right here in the hallway. I asked to see the judicial warrant." Lander was released hours later and according to Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, all charges against him were dropped. Federal prosecutors said they were continuing to investigate actions "involving" Lander. It was not clear at first whether Lander was talking about a judicial warrant for himself prior to this arrest, or for Edgardo. Lander's wife confirmed the judicial warrant he asked for was regarding Edgardo, the individual in court, "not for Brad." Lenni Benson, professor of immigration and human rights law at New York School of Law, told Snopes over email that ICE's targeting of immigrants attending their court hearings like Edgardo's is "an attempt by the [Department of Homeland Security] to rapidly detain a high number of people, including those who have complied with all requests and have sought asylum." Many online questioned whether ICE, which focuses on immigration-related crimes, had the authority to arrest people without a warrant, while others wondered whether ICE has the power to arrest U.S. citizens like Lander. Below, we break down the laws governing ICE agents, the warrants they use, their authority when it comes to U.S. citizens and the cases of Lander and Edgardo. We spoke to a number of immigration lawyers and reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We also reached out to Lander's office and will update this story accordingly if we hear back. According to 8 U.S. Code 1357, "Powers of immigration officers and employees," subsection "Powers without warrant," summarized below, immigration agents do not need warrants for the following actions: To interrogate any alien or person believed to be alien about their right to be or remain in the United States. To arrest an alien who, in the agent's presence, is apparently entering the United States in violation of laws or regulations, particularly if the agent has reason to believe the alien can escape before a warrant can be obtained. To board and search for aliens on any vessel in the territorial waters of the United States within "reasonable distance" from any external boundary of the United States, as well as "any railway car, aircraft, conveyance, or vehicle, and within a distance of twenty-five miles from any such external boundary to have access to private lands, but not dwellings." This access is for the purpose of patrolling the border. To arrest people for "felonies which have been committed and which are cognizable under any law of the United States regulating the admission, exclusion, expulsion, or removal of aliens, if he has reason to believe that the person so arrested is guilty of such felony and if there is likelihood of the person escaping before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest." To make arrests: "A) for any offense against the United States, if the offense is committed in the officer's or employee's presence, or B) for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States, if the officer or employee has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such a felony." Per the code, immigration officers can arrest anyone without a warrant if officers are "performing duties relating to the enforcement of the immigration laws at the time of the arrest and if there is a likelihood of the person escaping before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest." Aside from the exceptions outlined above under "Powers without warrant," ICE is required to present one of two warrants while making an arrest or conducting a search: either a judicial warrant to enter private property, or an administrative warrant from the agency authorizing an arrest or seizure. Although Lander asked to see a judicial warrant for Edgardo, ICE is not required to present a judicial warrant in a public place like a courtroom. According to the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), a judicial warrant can only be issued by a court, must be signed by a state or federal judge, and authorizes "a law enforcement officer to make an arrest, a seizure, or a search of some private area, such as your home." An administrative warrant (also referred to as an "immigration warrant" or "ICE warrant") can be signed by ICE itself. Per the NILC, an administrative warrant is "issued by a federal agency and may be signed by an 'immigration judge' or an 'immigration officer' (such as an ICE agent). Unlike a judicial warrant, an immigration warrant does not authorize a search or entry into your home or other private areas." We spoke to a range of immigration experts who noted that while ICE can obtain judicial warrants against both immigrants and U.S. citizens, they hardly ever do so due to the requirement of convincing a federal judge to issue said warrant. Administrative warrants carry less legal weight, as in practice they allow an agency like ICE to give itself permission to carry out an arrest. Further, ICE cannot use administrative warrants to arrest U.S. citizens. Benson told Snopes that while an administrative warrant should generally not be enforceable against anyone (immigrants and citizens included), it has often been accepted in many cases: In general, no administrative warrant is enforceable against ANYONE. But administrative warrants are frequently accepted in a variety of settings, e.g., employer enforcement where an agency is looking for wage and hours records or compliance with verification of authorization to work. Individuals who are shown a warrant should read it carefully and can tell the officer they will not comply unless the warrant is issued by a member of the federal judiciary. State judges do not have the power to grant federal officers the right to arrest. Sarah Owings, an immigration attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, told Snopes over the phone that ICE has no administrative warrant powers over U.S. citizens. "A judicial warrant could be obtained to arrest a U.S. citizen, but they are not going to do that," she said. One reason is because of how complex the process of obtaining such a warrant can be. In a phone conversation, Nathan Yaffe, an immigration lawyer in New York, told Snopes that while an administrative warrant could simply be signed by an ICE official, the process for getting a judicial warrant can take longer: "You have to convince the judge that there is probable cause [their] search will reveal a crime or unlawful activity." However, Yaffe added, the focus on the type of warrant needed to arrest individuals is a distraction from ICE's general practices. "It's unfortunate that many elected officials and people in the media are fixating on the judicial warrant aspect, because it has never been the case that ICE gets judicial warrants prior to making arrests. It is extraordinarily rare," he said. He continued, "[The demand for a warrant] is founded on an inaccurate premise that ICE is operating 'lawfully' to get a judicial warrant. It wrongly creates exceptionalism around this moment and feeds into the idea there is a procedural justice fix. People should be attacking ICE practices across the board and not just under Trump in that case. There is a good argument [ICE] needs an administrative warrant to make the arrest but even that practice is not a meaningful layer of protection because ICE is basically giving itself permission." ICE generally does not have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens without a warrant except in certain circumstances. Yaffe said all three of the following criteria would have to be met to justify the arrest of a citizen: ICE has to be actively in the middle of performing duties related to immigration enforcement. The person they are arresting has to have been committing an "offense against the United States." That would be a subset of federal crimes. There has to have been "a likelihood of the person escaping before a warrant could be obtained." As stated in 8 U.S. Code 1357, in section 5 of "Powers without warrant," agents can arrest anyone "for any offense against the United States, if the offense is committed in the officer's or employee's presence" or "for any felony" and if the agent believes the citizen will escape before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest. In a news release, the New York American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called Lander's arrest "a stunning abuse of power and a threat to our democracy": Arresting a public official, the duly-elected comptroller of the City of New York, for asking questions is dangerous intimidation and shows a wanton disregard for the will of the people of New York. It sends an unmistakably authoritarian message — that ICE doesn't care about the rule of law and that anyone exercising their right to challenge ICE and speak up for immigrants will be punished. DHS sent us a statement from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in which she accused Lander of assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer: New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer. Our heroic ICE law enforcement officers face a 413% increase in assaults against them — it is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment. No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences. Looking at footage of Lander, we could not see any evidence of him assaulting law enforcement; rather, he kept repeating, "I will let go [of the immigrant] when you show me the judicial warrant [for Edgardo]." Lander had linked arms with Edgardo, the individual being detained by ICE. Lander was eventually separated and held against a wall, where ICE agents handcuffed him. After an agent accused him of "obstruction," he said, "I'm not obstructing, I'm standing right here in the hallway, I have to see the judicial warrant." Under the U.S. Code, Yaffe told us, the following criteria would have to be true for ICE to justify Lander's arrest, and in his view the conditions were clearly "not met": [If] Lander was assaulting an officer or committing a crime against the United States. It would be a closer call if [ICE] said 'obstruction of justice' was taking place. [...] They would [also] have to say they believed Lander would evade their attempt to arrest him by going into hiding, or escaping before they could get a warrant [for Lander]." Yaffe added that he believed the idea that Lander, who is New York City's comptroller and running for mayor, would attempt to evade the law is "ridiculous." "We are in very unprecedented times," Owings told Snopes. "[By] making decisions to use police powers against people who should not be subject to them." When it comes to Edgardo, the immigrant detained by ICE, Yaffe noted they still would have needed a warrant to arrest him at an immigration court "or [had] an individualized determination that he was a flight risk." In general, he said, "ICE is not making individualized findings about people they are arresting right now. [Or] they are just implementing a blanket policy. I am confident that there wasn't a warrant for [Edgardo's] arrest." Regardless, Edgardo was taken into ICE detention and had no lawyer, according to Lander. Lander said after his own release: "Tonight, I'll go home and sleep in my bed. I have a lawyer, I'll get due process. But Edgardo, whose arm was ripped from mine by ICE agents, has none of those things." Benson said Lander could "have asked for identification of the officer approaching and questioned the officer on why they had a reasonable suspicion of alienage other than the [immigrant] person's presence in the immigration court." While we do not know the specifics of Edgardo's case, he appeared to be cooperating with the government requirement to appear in immigration court. That people like him are being detained is, according to Benson, a sign of rising numbers of immigrant arrests by DHS, including the arrests of people who comply with the legal process of seeking asylum: But under our domestic and international laws, the DHS cannot summarily deport people who have a credible fear of persecution in their country. So what should happen even if the case is terminated, is that the individual will have the right to present his/her/their claim to an asylum officer who if finding it meets the lower standard, will put the person into REGULAR removal proceedings. Exactly where these people were before the case was terminated. Despite the above restrictions, as of this writing ICE has still detained and deported numerous U.S. citizens in 2025, including children born in the United States. "8 U.S. Code § 1324 - Bringing in and Harboring Certain Aliens." LII / Legal Information Institute, Cornell. Accessed 19 June 2025. "8 USC 1357: Powers of Immigration Officers and Employees." U.S. Code. Accessed 19 June 2025. Benson, Leni. Professor of Law, New York Law School. Email, 18 June 2025. Danner, Chas. "U.S. Citizens Keep Getting Caught Up in Trump's Immigration Crackdown." Intelligencer, 3 May 2025, Accessed 19 June 2025. Doherty, Erin. "NYC Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander Released after Arrest by ICE." CNBC, 17 June 2025, Accessed 19 June 2025. Ferré-Sadurní, Luis. "Brad Lander, NYC Mayoral Candidate, Arrested by ICE Agents at Immigration Courthouse." The New York Times, 17 June 2025. Accessed 19 June 2025. Ferré-Sadurní, Luis. "Brad Lander Tried to Escort Immigrants Facing Arrest. He's Not Alone." The New York Times, 19 June 2025. Accessed 19 June 2025. "NYC Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander Arrested at Immigration Court." AP News, 17 June 2025, Accessed 19 June 2025. "NYC Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander Arrested by ICE: Raw Video." YouTube, Fox 5 New York, 17 June 2025, Accessed 19 June 2025. "NYC Comptroller Brad Lander's Wife Speaks out about His Arrest." YouTube, CBS New York, 17 June 2025, Accessed 19 June 2025. "NYCLU on Arrest of City Comptroller." NYCLU, Accessed 19 June 2025. Owings , Sarah. Immigration Attorney. Telephone, 18 June 2025. Warrants and Subpoenas 101. National Immigration Law Center, Sept. 2020, Accessed 19 June 2025. Yaffe, Nathan. Immigration Lawyer. Telephone, 18 June 2025.

Fox News

an hour ago

• Fox News

DHS reveals shocking 500% increase in assaults against ICE officers during operations

The Department of Homeland Security released shocking new statistics Thursday showing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are facing a severe escalation in assaults during ICE operations. According to the release, agents have experienced a 500% increase in assaults while carrying out recent enforcement operations. "Just this week, an ICE officer was dragged 50 yards by a car while arresting an illegal alien sex offender," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a press release. The escalation extends to other immigration operations, including Border Patrol. On Thursday, DHS posted about an incident in Bell and Maywood, CA where Patrol vehicles were "violently targeted during lawful operations." A vehicle was rammed, and its tires were slashed, DHS said. Another civilian also struck a federal vehicle, totaling it, according to the department. The driver was arrested for alleged vehicular assault as a mob formed and continued to slash more tires. Secretary McLaughlin said ICE agents put their lives on the line every day and blamed Democrats for allegedly putting them in harm's way by demonizing them. "Every day the men and women of ICE put their lives on the line to protect and defend the lives of American citizens. Make no mistake, Democrat politicians like Hakeem Jeffries, Mayor Wu of Boston, Governor Tim Walz, and Mayor Bass of Los Angeles are contributing to the surge in assaults of our ICE officers through their repeated vilification and demonization of ICE," McLaughlin said. "From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi Gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is despicable. This violence against ICE must end." DHS said family members of ICE agents are also being targeted and doxxed. The department said anyone caught committing these crimes would be penalized. "Those who dox our ICE agents will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," DHS said. "Secretary Noem's message is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," the statement said. DHS said it will not be deterred and that CBP and its partners will continue to enforce the law — "relentless and unapologetic."

Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

Protesters gather after immigration raid targets car wash in L.A. County

Protesters gathered in southeast Los Angeles County Friday evening, facing off with masked men in fatigues after federal agents detained at least three people at a car wash in the city of Bell, according to witnesses, and visited another car wash in neighboring Maywood. The immigration action in Bell took place at Jack's Car Wash and Detailing, located in the 7000 block of Atlantic Avenue, just north of Florence Avenue. Security camera footage reviewed by The Times shows masked men wearing olive vests chasing a car wash employee, who was wearing a bright green uniform and cap. The video shows another employee — wearing a bright green cap, a white long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans — surrounded by the masked men, his hands restrained behind his back. The employee is tackled to the ground as customers and others gathered, with some taking out their phones to record videos. The man in the white-long sleeved shirt is a car wash worker who is a U.S. citizen, according to the employee's brother, Jesús Rafael Cervantes. He said his brother, who lives in Bell Gardens, wanted to defend a coworker— an action that, Cervantes said, prompted agents to detain his brother. "Just for defending someone, they came and knocked him down. As you can see in the videos, they came and knocked him down like that, just like that. And that's unfair, that they come and grab a person like that as if he were an animal or something," Cervantes told The Times. Protesters gathered to confront the agents in the area, which is about 6 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. In one video shared with The Times, a protester sprays white paint on a silver SUV and a voice can be heard saying, "Get the ... out of here!" while others jeer. People can be seen hitting the vehicle. Read more: 'They are grabbing people.' L.A. and Orange County car wash workers targeted by federal immigration raids Officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately return a request for comment. In a statement posted on social media, the agency said Border Patrol vehicles "were violently targeted during lawful operations" in Bell and neighboring Maywood. The Department of Homeland Security said one vehicle was rammed and had its tires slashed on Atlantic Boulevard. On Slauson Avenue, a civilian struck a federal vehicle, totaling it, according to the department. "The driver was arrested for suspicion of vehicular assault as a mob formed and slashed additional tires," the department said. The statement included photos showing silver vehicles with cracked or shattered windows. One silver SUV was shown with dented doors and scratched paint. "Federal law enforcement is facing an ever-escalating increase in assaults—but we will not be deterred," the department said. "If you assault a federal officer, you will be prosecuted." The statement did not indicate how many were detained on immigration-related matters. The protest in Bell, a city with a large Latino and Lebanese community, comes as the federal government continues its campaign in Los Angeles to find and capture undocumented immigrants. The actions have spurred backlash from local and state officials and have forced some residents into hiding. "We're not sure who these armed men are. They show up without uniforms. They show up completely masked. They refuse to give ID. They're driving regular cars with tinted windows and in some cases, out of state license plates. Who are these people?" Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at a briefing Friday night. "If they're federal officials, why is it that they do not identify themselves?" Bass asked. Around Atlantic and Brompton avenues, crowds of people gathered, taking videos and looking at the agents — armed individuals wearing balaclavas, some carrying long weapons, wearing vests and camoflauge pants. They stood in the street near a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop. The crowd and agents were separated by yellow tape. One woman with a bullhorn hurled obscenities at the agents and President Trump; others waved a Mexican flag and an upside-down U.S. flag, traditionally a symbol of protest or distress. "Losers!" another woman called out. "Go fight a real war!" Another shouted, "Shame on you!" Read more: More L.A. car washes targeted in immigration raids, some closed amid fears of further sweeps Elsewhere, one of the armed people wore a U.S. flag on his vest, and some onlookers called out to them. "Are you a bounty hunter? How much is the bounty for an illegal right now?" someone on the street yelled. Cudahy Mayor Elizabeth Alcantar Loza was in Bell as the crowds gathered, and said the mood on Atlantic Avenue shifted when suddenly an unmarked silver SUV drove toward her and other people standing near her, angering the crowd. Some began to hit and throw objects at the SUV. A second unmarked vehicle attempted to do the same thing moments later, she said. "It felt like there was a point being made to incite violence," Alcantar Loza said. "People were peacefully protesting, and it became something completely different because of the vehicle that was trying to drive into the crowd." "We've seen it across the board, folks show up to an immigration activity and then violence is enacted upon them. Then they respond and we're shown as violent protesters—when in reality folks were calm, they were chanting, they were protesting. And they tried to run people over," she said. Just after 8 p.m., peaceful protesters waving Mexican and American flags gathered around Jack's Car Wash in Bell, as motorists honked their horns in support. "ICE out of everywhere!!!" one sign said. "Immigrants built this country," said another. There was another immigration action that appeared to focus on a car wash in Maywood on Friday, according to Maywood Councilman Eddie De La Riva. Ultimately no one was taken from that business, he said. At one point, there was considerable commotion near the car wash. Video shared with The Times shows a minor collision between a blue BMW and a blue SUV with at least three agents inside, all wearing green vests. One of the passengers in the SUV opens his door in front of the slowly moving BMW, causing the BMW to hit the SUV's door. Agents detained the BMW's driver, who was later released, the councilman said, after onlookers shouted at the agents to let the driver go. By then, a crowd of protesters had formed. Fernando Botello, 39, was driving back to Maywood after picking up his girlfriend's 14-year-old son when he got an alert on his citizen app that people suspected to be immigration agents were spotted in the area. Moments later, he said, he learned that the agents were at an Xpress Wash at Slauson and Alamo avenues, just blocks from his home. When Botello got close to the intersection, he could see several vehicles were blocking the roadway. Read more: Tensions over L.A. immigration sweeps boil over as Padilla is tackled, ICE arrests pick up Unable to move, he got out of the car and watched the scene. He said the crowd started screaming to let the man go. He could hear people asking for the agents' badge numbers. After five minutes, he said, local police arrived. It was at that point, he said, the agents got in their vehicles and threw tear gas at a group standing on a corner near a park. A video taken by Botello shows an armed masked man standing from the ledge of an open door of a black SUV slowly driving along a street near Maywood's Riverfront Park. The video shows the agent throwing an object toward a crowd of people, and a loud bang can be heard as he gets back in the vehicle. Botello said the object was a flash bang grenade, and was tossed at people who were taking video. "They knew what they wanted to do," he said. As he recounted the situation, Botello paused, trying to hold back tears. "I was upset because the people were exercising their right. They weren't hitting the officers' vehicles, they weren't in the middle of the street," he said. "You're punishing people for standing up for their neighbors and yourself." "It feels surreal. I don't know how long this is going to last." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.