JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman who assaulted law enforcement officers during an ICE operation in January at a Beach Boulevard shopping center has pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday.
Jennifer Cruz, 41, of Jacksonville, pleaded guilty to assaulting federal immigration officers and law enforcement during an operation on Jan. 13, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe stated in a news release.
Cruz faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, the news release states.
Federal immigration officers, assisted by the Florida Highway Patrol were conducting an operation in Jacksonville to locate and administratively arrest individuals illegally present in the United States. During this operation, Cruz began recording on her cellphone as an FHP trooper pulled over a vehicle for a traffic infraction.
Cruz parked near the initial traffic stop and yelled at the trooper while continuing to record. Another trooper approached Cruz to discuss her use of a cellphone while driving. During this interaction, Cruz was argumentative and recorded the encounter, police said.
When asked for her driver license, Cruz stated she did not have it but displayed a photograph of it on her cellphone. A records check revealed her license had been suspended, police said. Due to the suspended license, the trooper requested a tow truck to impound Cruz’s vehicle, the news release states.
While waiting for the tow truck, Cruz drove away. Multiple troopers immediately activated their emergency lights and sirens, maneuvering their patrol vehicles to box in Cruz’s vehicle. Once stopped, the trooper informed Cruz the traffic stop was not concluded and her vehicle would be towed due to her suspended license. He instructed her to exit the vehicle and surrender the keys.
Cruz exited her vehicle but became verbally hostile, repeatedly refusing to surrender the keys despite multiple directives. In response to the trooper’s commands, Cruz stated she was “ready to go,” and when asked, clarified that she meant she was ready to fight, the news release states. When a trooper attempted to retrieve the keys, Cruz struck him in the face with a closed fist, the news release states.
As officers carried her to an FHP patrol vehicle, she tried to kick the trooper she had punched. While being placed inside the vehicle, Cruz kicked an ICE officer, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent and the FHP trooper who initiated the stop. She struck the CBP agent and the ICE officer, injuring the ICE officer’s left hand, the news release states.
A trooper deployed his Taser, but it had little effect on her, police said. Officers eventually secured Cruz in the patrol vehicle, but she continued kicking inside the vehicle, the news release states.
A sentencing date for Cruz has not yet been set.
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