Texts appear to show Border Patrol agent bragging about shooting a woman
in Chicago
[November 07, 2025]
CHICAGO (AP) — Text messages sent by a Border Patrol agent
appear to show he bragged to colleagues about his shooting skills after
wounding a woman charged with assaulting a federal officer in Chicago.
Agent Charles Exum shot Marimar Martinez five times on Oct. 4 after
authorities say she and another driver rammed vehicles into an SUV Exum
was driving on the city's Southwest Side.
The messages were presented as evidence in federal court Wednesday.
Martinez, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen, and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, 21,
are charged with assault on a federal officer using a deadly or
dangerous weapon.
In the text, agent Exum wrote that he had “an amendment to add to” his
story. “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book
boys,” the text read.
The shooting occurred as President Donald Trump’s escalation of federal
law enforcement continued in cities across the U.S.
On Oct. 5, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged the
shooting, saying in a statement that agents “were rammed by vehicles and
boxed in by 10 cars.” When agents exited their vehicle, “a suspect tried
to run them over, forcing the officers to fire defensively," the
statement continued.
No officers were seriously injured.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the woman shot was armed with a
semiautomatic weapon. Martinez was treated at a hospital and released
before being taken into FBI custody.
When questioned Wednesday by Chris Parente, an attorney for Martinez,
Exum testified that he's a firearms instructor "and I take pride in my
shooting skills,” the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
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Defense attorneys also are concerned about the destruction of
evidence after the SUV driven by Exum was later driven from Chicago
to the agent's station in Maine and parked in a garage, Exum said.
The SUV suffered scratches, dents and scuff marks when it was
sideswiped, the agent said. Photos were taken of the damage. The
scuff marks had been buffed in Maine, Exum said.
Martinez alleges that the Border Patrol vehicle swerved and
sideswiped her vehicle, according to court documents.
Federal immigration agents in the Chicago area have been accused of
unnecessary force, including the use of pepper balls, tear gas and
other tactics against people protesting federal immigration policies
and the detention of immigrants.
The aggressive tactics have prompted resident backlash and lawsuits.
Another federal judge said Thursday she will order federal agents in
Chicago to restrict using force against peaceful protesters and news
media outlets, saying current practices violate their constitutional
rights.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis’s ruling, which is expected to be
appealed by the Trump administration, refines an earlier temporary
order that required agents to wear badges and banned them from using
certain riot-control techniques, such as tear gas, against peaceful
protesters and journalists.
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