FROM CNN: A federal judge on Thursday dismissed federal charges against a woman shot by a Customs and Border Protection agent in Chicago after allegedly ramming into his car.
The ruling from US District Judge Georgia Alexakis came hours after prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the charges in a striking reversal by the US government, court documents show.
Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old American citizen, and her co-defendant, Anthony Ruiz – who was driving a different vehicle – had entered not guilty pleas to a federal charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.
The unprecedented move marks the latest development in a high-profile case that garnered public scrutiny and left a federal judge skeptical of how the investigation was handled.
Martinez and Ruiz were accused of “aggressively and erratically” following then ramming into Exum and other agents who were on security detail in Chicago.
Martinez’s defense attorney, Christopher Parente, argues that the agent sideswiped Martinez, not the other way around.
“This case was going to be a winner at trial regardless,” Parente said.
“These agents were lying about what happened,” he said following the dismissal. “Miss Martinez never rammed anybody. These agents hit Miss Martinez. These agents jumped out and shot Miss Martinez, a US citizen whose only crime was warning her fellow community members that ICE was in the neighborhood.”
Joseph Fitzpatrick, spokesperson and assistant US attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said his office is “constantly evaluating new facts and information relating to cases and investigations arising out of Operation Midway Blitz, the largest ever law enforcement surge in the Northern District of Illinois.”
“This continuous review process applies to all matters — whether charged or under investigation,” he said. “It helps ensure that the interests of justice are served in each and every case, and that those cases that are charged are appropriately adjudicated through our federal court system.”
She was accused of ramming a Border Patrol vehicle in Chicago before an agent shot her and Homeland Security branded her a domestic terrorist.
Now, a judge has dismissed the charges against her and Marimar Martinez tells me, “I’m a survivor.” pic.twitter.com/3keV4QvWTN
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) November 22, 2025
READ MORE AT CNN
The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast archive is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.
