Teen in FBI beating escaped from jail, officials say

El Paso Times ^ | Oct 1, 2002 | Diana Washington Valdez

[FITZ]

One of the three teens who escaped from the Luna County Detention Center in Deming is part of the group that attacked two El Paso FBI agents Sept. 12 at Sunland Park-Anapra, FBI spokesman Al Cruz said.

Rogelio Ramirez-Rodriguez, 17, of Juárez, and Cesar Ibarra-Treviso, 17, and Daniel Barnum-Garcia, 16, both of Palomas, Mexico, attacked two guards early Monday and drove away from Deming with pepper spray and a hand-held police scanner, officials said.

Luna County Jail Director Ed Gilmore said Ramirez-Rodriguez was charged with assault on a federal officer, while Ibarra-Treviso and Barnum-Garcia were charged with smuggling of undocumented immigrants. Gilmore said Ibarra-Treviso had also been charged with smuggling marijuana.

"Two of our guards were savagely beaten by the juveniles," Luna County Manager Scott Vinson said. "They put up a good fight, but they were overpowered. It appears that the juveniles tore apart a cot and used aluminum poles from the bed to beat the guards."

Vinson said the escapees took the keys to one of the guard's 1994 blue Ford pickup and fled.

The guards, Zoila Sapien and Andy Gonzales, were taken to Memorial Hospital in Las Cruces after the attacks. Vinson said Gonzales will have surgery today for a broken arm he received during the attack.

A nationwide bulletin for the fugitives was sent to all law-enforcement agencies soon after they escaped at about 1:45 a.m. "It is believed they fled to Mexico," New Mexico State Police Lt. Clyde Keene said.

The detention center, which is about 30 miles north of the Columbus-Palomas border, was not intended to hold violent offenders, and officials are rethinking the use of the facility, Gilmore said.

Ramirez-Rodriguez was among several suspects facing federal charges in connection with the Sept. 12 beatings of two FBI agents who were part of a multi-agency sting operation investigating thefts of Union Pacific trains. Last week, 12 of the adults charged in the case pleaded not guilty.

Proceedings and records for the juveniles' cases were closed to the public.

[FITZ]

President Fox would be so proud of these guys.

[Mo1]

VOTE THE RATS OUT!!

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[CedarDave]

Putting dangerous felons in minimum/poor security lockups is a daily occurrence in NM.

[CedarDave]

When I was in El Paso last week, the local news said Mexicans were complaining that the federal officers participating in the sting operation crossed the border. My understanding is that the two who were attacked (including a woman) were dragged across the border and beaten by a group of the train robbers. Mexico is more worried about possible hot pursuit of the bad guys than the safety of officers trying to put a stop to the robberies. Typical.

[FITZ]

It's true. Mexican politicians and other "elites" receive bribe money from the thieves. Millions of dollars worth of merchandise is routinely taken off those trains by these criminals, there is no way that kind of money is missed by their corrupt upper class. They don't want this stopped.