An armed off-duty Border Patrol agent was charged with assaulting a Long Beach police officer in a parking lot after an altercation at a Shoreline Village restaurant, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Isaiah Anthony Hodgson, 29, is charged with three felony counts of resisting an executive officer, one felony count of battery with injury on a peace officer and one misdemeanor count each of exhibiting a concealable firearm in public, having a concealed firearm on one’s person and carrying a loaded firearm on one’s person, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Hodgson pleaded not guilty and was released Wednesday on his own recognizance. He was ordered not to possess any firearms, not to leave California and to attend at least three alcohol counseling meetings a week as conditions of his release, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Jail records indicate he was released Wednesday
The allegations stem from a call to police Monday about a person with a gun at a Long Beach restaurant.
Hodgson, armed with his department-issued handgun, entered the Shoreline Village business’ women’s restroom and approached a woman who saw his handgun and firearm magazine and notified the restaurant’s manager, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
A security guard approached Hodgson outside the restaurant and saw him holding a firearm magazine with a firearm on his waistband, prosecutors said. The guard informed Hodgson that firearms are not permitted on the property and asked him repeatedly to leave, the DA’s office said.
Long Beach officers confronted Hodgson in a parking lot. Prosecutors said he became “agitated and physical” with the officers, injuring one.
Details about the officer’s injuries were not immediately available.
“The conduct exhibited by Mr. Hodgson, a Border Patrol agent who has the duty to uphold the law and protect its citizens, is unacceptable and deeply troubling,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. “No one is above the law, regardless of their position or badge. Law enforcement officers have a responsibility to always conduct themselves with integrity and professionalism. Our office will pursue prosecution accordingly to ensure justice is served.”
Hodgson is due back in court Thursday. He faces a potential seven-year state prison sentence if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
NBCLA reached out to the U.S. Border Patrol Friday afternoon for comment.
In an email to the Los Angeles Times, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said the matter is “under investigation.”
It was not immediately clear whether Hodgson was assigned to ongoing immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area.