Charges dropped against woman shot by Border Patrol agent

Federal prosecutors moved Thursday to dismiss charges against a woman who was shot several times by a Border Patrol agent last month during the federal immigration crackdown in the Chicago area.

- By CHRISTINE FERNANDO

Prosecutors had accused Marimar Martinez, 30, and Anthony Ruiz, 21, of using their vehicles to strike and box in Border Patrol agent Charles Exum’s vehicle on Oct. 4 on Chicago's southwest side. Exum then exited his car and opened fire at Martinez, who suffered seven gunshot wounds.

Hours before a status hearing, prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the charges against the two defendants, marking a dramatic reversal in one of the most closely watched cases tied to the crackdown in the country’s third-largest city and its suburbs.

In a statement sent to the Associated Press, Martinez’s lawyer, Christopher Parente, praised the U.S. attorney’s office “for doing the right thing here and dismissing the indictment.”

U.S. attorney's office spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick said the office is “constantly evaluating new facts and information relating to cases and investigations arising out of Operation Midway Blitz.”

Ruiz’s attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment.