DHS Says Man Tackled on National Mall Is Mexican National Facing Child-Sex Charge

Federal agents and D.C. police detained a man near the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall on Wednesday after he attempted to flee a traffic stop. Video filmed by local reporters shows several officers tackling the driver, who repeatedly shouted in Spanish that he was not a criminal before being placed in an unmarked vehicle. Authorities have not said why the car was first pulled over or what immediate charges, if any, were filed after the arrest. The Department of Homeland Security later told reporters that the individual is an undocumented Mexican national with a final order of removal. According to DHS, he was arrested in Fairfax County, Virginia, on 30 January 2024 for aggravated sexual assault of a child younger than 13. No name was released, and DHS did not disclose the status of those earlier charges or provide additional details on the current investigation. The encounter comes amid an expanded federal law-enforcement presence in Washington after President Donald Trump this month invoked emergency powers to place the Metropolitan Police Department under temporary federal control and deploy National Guard units to combat violent crime. City officials have asked for clarification on the scope and duration of the operation, while federal agencies say more than 200 undocumented immigrants have been apprehended in the capital since the surge began.