KMOV NEWS: On January 14th, Castro was chasing Alfredo Aljorna through Minneapolis when Aljorna ran into his home. Castro fired a bullet through the front door of an occupied residence, wounding Aljorna's roommate, Julio Sosa-Celis, in the leg. That night, Castro told investigators he had fired in self-defense after being beaten for several minutes with a shovel and a broom by three men.

Based entirely on Castro's account, federal prosecutors charged Sosa-Celis and Aljorna with assaulting a law enforcement officer.

Then the surveillance footage emerged. A Minneapolis police camera captured the entire encounter. It lasted approximately 12 seconds. There was no prolonged beating. Castro's story fell apart, the charges against the two Venezuelan men were dropped, and prosecutors concluded Castro had not only shot an innocent man but filed a false police report to cover it up.

ICE's response when Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty charged Castro this month? The agency called the charges "unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt."

Castro was placed on leave and apparently decided that escaping to Texas was preferable to facing justice in Minnesota. He was tracked down by state investigators and arrested Friday morning with the Texas Rangers and DHS's own inspector general present for the takedown.

Castro is the second ICE agent charged by Moriarty's office for conduct during Operation Metro Surge. The other, Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., was charged with assault for pointing a gun at motorists on a highway. He also has an active arrest warrant.

Moriarty called Friday's arrest "a critical step forward." It is also a demonstration that accountability for federal agents is possible — even when their own agency fights it every step of the way.

COMMENTARY:

This is what happens when weapons are entrusted to untrained, angry, racist people with sick agendas.