Video shows Venezuelan man tackled by federal agents in New Hampshire court
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Venezuelan man tackled by federal agents at New Hampshire courthouse
In February, a Venezuelan man was tackled by federal agents when he arrived at a courthouse for misdemeanor charges.
When 30-year-old Arnuel Marquez Colmenarez arrived at the courthouse in Nashua, New Hampshire on Feb. 20, he was set to appear for his arraignment on misdemeanor charges. But on the way to the courtroom, he was taken away by federal agents, missing his arraignment completely.
In a video released by the New Hampshire Judicial Branch, Colmenarez is seen entering the Nashua Circuit Court, going through security and into an elevator, where he was followed by two men.
One of the two men tapped Colmenarez's shoulder and identified themselves as a federal agent. As Colmenarez tried to leave the elevator, the video shows he was tackled to the ground, knocking an elderly bystander to the ground in the process.
Colmenarez, who was only steps from the courtroom, never made his arraignment and instead, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee locator, is currently being held at the Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo, Texas.
A missed court date
According to the Boston Globe, Colmenarez was being arraigned in court for allegedly driving with a blood alcohol concentration more than twice the legal limit on Feb. 9.
The Globe also said Colmenarez was accused of driving without a license and failing to provide information after being involved in a car crash.
According to a police report written by a Hudson Police Department officer and obtained local news media, agents like the ones seen in the video were working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and ICE to detain people who were showing up to court for either arrangements or hearings.
USA TODAY has contacted the Hudson Police Department for more information. The Department of Homeland Security and ATF Boston did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on Tuesday.
'Unacceptable': Witnesses describe incident
Witnesses who spoke to WMUR said the altercation was sudden and violent. In the video, an elderly man using a cane was knocked down as Colmenarez was tackled to the ground; the man suffered minor injuries.
"Why is he so violently hustled to the ground the way he was in such an unsafe manner for him and everyone else around him?" the witness told WMUR. "Why? What was the urgency?"
"Unacceptable. That's all I could think of," the witness told WMUR. "I was just so furious. I would not expect this in a courtroom in America."
Others detained in courtrooms
Other incidents like Colmenarez's have recently happened. On March 31, Wilson Martell-Lebron from the Dominican Republic was taken by ICE agents as he appeared in a court in Boston.
Martell-Lebron was on trial for allegedly making false statements on his driver's license application. Witnesses described how plainclothes agents surrounded Martell-Lebron and whisked him away in an unmarked truck.
Days later, Boston Municipal Court Judge Mark Summerville ordered a contempt charge against ICE agent Brian Sullivan, but that charge was dropped by a federal judge on Tuesday.
Contributing: Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
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