|
On March 3, 2017, at 5:11 p.m., the Tucson Police Department received a 911 call from a United Stated Border Patrol agent who reported that a man escaped from his custody at Banner University Medical Center. The man was in custody for being in the country illegally and for assaulting an agent during his initial detention.
The suspect was identified as 37 year-old Carlso Erazo-Velasquez from Honduras. He has a criminal history related to drug offenses and had been previously deported.
A man matching the description of Erazo-Velasquez was seen in the area of 1st Ave. and Elm St. by a member of the public. TPD officers immediately responded to assist in locating Erazo-Velasquez. Erazo-Velasquez was not located during the more than two hour search. According to TPD, “officers determined that the subject was most likely not within the contained area and further searching was futile.”
A couple of hours later, demonstrators showed up at the hospital where USBP had set up a command post. According to various reports, the protesters blocked a Border Patrol supervisor’s vehicle. As a result of the demonstration, USBP asked if they could relocate to a TPD substation parking lot on Miracle Mile.
U.S. Border Patrol Agent Art Del Cueto, acting in his capacity as president of National Border Patrol Council told Breitbart.com that the agents were then told, “Due to the recent political climate, the Tucson Police Department could no longer assist the Border Patrol.” The agents were then asked to pack up the incident command center and leave the property, reported Breitbart.com.
TPD officially claimed that it was unable to accommodate the request “given the time of night, busy call volume, and a lack of the staff necessary to manage a demonstration at the substation.”
The Tucson Police Department issued a statement defending its actions. TPD claims that it “maintains professional working relationships with all of our law enforcement partners, both locally and at the federal level. Consistent with existing policy, we provide assistance as needed or requested and as our staffing allows based on the totality of the circumstances of the situation or incident.”