Bronx Man Arrested and Charged With Physically Assaulting a Federal Agent: Agent Suffered Two-Inch Forehead Laceration
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on October 21 that Liberty Martin, of the Bronx, New York, has been arrested and charged with physically assaulting a Special Agent of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on October 8, 2026. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald and Pete Gizas, Special Agent in Charge of HSI's New York office.
According to the allegations in the Complaint, on or about October 8, 2026, at approximately 6:45 p.m., in the Bronx, New York, a crowd of people, including Martin, surrounded an HSI Special Agent who was responding following an incident between federal law enforcement officers and an individual in the Bronx. Martin physically assaulted the agent by aggressively grabbing and ripping the agent's clothing. Martin and others then followed the agent to his department-issued vehicle, where Martin again grabbed the agent's clothing. Other individuals then further assaulted the agent by pushing him against his vehicle, grabbing his clothing, shoving his head and body into the vehicle, and slamming the vehicle door on him, causing a two-inch laceration to the agent's forehead.
"Our Office will aggressively protect and defend our law enforcement partners against unlawful attacks," said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. "Assaulting law enforcement officers in the commission of their lawful duties undermines respect for the rule of law and threatens the systems we rely upon to keep us safe. This Office will not tolerate criminal interference of their sworn duties and will charge anyone who unlawfully jeopardizes the safety of law enforcement officers." HSI Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas said the defendant "stands accused of assaulting a federal law enforcement officer, recklessly endangering the special agents on scene and the public they were sworn to protect," calling the alleged conduct "a direct attack on the rule of law and the safety of our community."
Martin, 42, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of physically assaulting an employee of the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. The U.S. Attorney's Office noted that the maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and provided for informational purposes only, as any sentencing will be determined by the judge. The case is being handled by the Office's General Crimes Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin McCarey is in charge of the prosecution. Mr. McDonald thanked the Nassau County Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, and the Diplomatic Security Service for their assistance in the investigation. The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于纽约 Manhattan 的 Daniel Patrick Moynihan 美国法院大楼入口（资料图），美国纽约南区联邦地区法院设于此楼。Ken Lund 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，取自维基共享资源。Photo: Entrance of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan, New York, home of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (file photo). Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
