Arizona man accused of human smuggling is a repeat offender who once 'threw rocks' at Army helicopter: docs

The antheral suspected of smuggling amerciable immigrants who was changeable connected Tuesday by national agents is simply a repetition offender erstwhile convicted of a akin crime, records show.

Officials said the individual, identified arsenic Patrick Gary Schlegel, 34, was recognized by instrumentality enforcement arsenic being perchance related to a imaginable quality trafficking incidental astir 7:30 a.m. connected Tuesday adjacent the municipality of Arivaca, Arizona, which is conscionable miles from the confederate borderline with Mexico. Officials said everyone successful the conveyance fled connected foot. Schlegel antecedently was convicted successful a $40,000 quality smuggling operation.

A fewer hours later, Border Patrol agents spotted the conveyance and attempted to marque a postulation stop, but Schlegel fled connected foot. During the ft chase, Schlegel allegedly changeable astatine a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) chopper and idiosyncratic agents.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital that agents returned fire, striking Schlegel. He was taken to a infirmary wherever he's expected to retrieve aft undergoing surgery, an authoritative said.

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Patrick Gary Schlegel allegedly exchanged gunfire with instrumentality enforcement connected Tuesday. (Facebook/Patrick Gary Schlegel)

Schlegel volition apt look national charges of battle connected a national officer, alien smuggling, and being a felon successful possession of a firearm, according to authorities.

Heith Janke, the peculiar cause successful complaint of the FBI's Phoenix Division, said that Schlegel has a "significant transgression history," which includes an progressive national apprehension warrant that was issued by the U.S. Marshals Service successful 2025 aft an flight tied to a erstwhile national alien smuggling conviction.

Schlegel was convicted of proscription of amerciable aliens for nett and felon successful possession of a firearm aft a May 2023 incidental wherever prosecutors said helium smuggled radical into the country.

On May 20, 2023, Schlegel tried to get 16 radical crossed the confederate borderline and was arrested. According to the transgression complaint, a Border Patrol camera observed a car being driven by Schlegel prime up a radical of sixteen suspected amerciable immigrants, and showed him loading them into the furniture of a pickup truck, covering them with a tarp. At that time, the suspected amerciable aliens jumped retired of the pickup motortruck and its bed.

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This photograph shows a US Border Patrol spot connected a borderline agent's azygous successful McAllen, Texas, connected January 15, 2019. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)

A Border Patrol cause began pursuing Schlegel until the fishy drove "recklessly disconnected roadworthy done the desert," the ailment states, adding that helium "yelled angrily and threw rocks" astatine an Army National Guard helicopter.

Adela Martinez-Lopez, a witnesser successful the case, told prosecutors that her relative arranged for her to beryllium smuggled into the U.S. for $12,000. Two different amerciable immigrants claimed that they paid $14,000 to beryllium smuggled into the U.S., totaling implicit $40,000. It's unclear if each of the wealth went to Schlegel. In January 2024, Schlegel was sentenced to 3 years successful prison.

Court records successful Arizona amusement Schlegel was besides recovered blameworthy of misconduct involving weapons successful 2024.

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It is unclear what led to the encounter, oregon the consequent shooting. (Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images)

Nanos said during a property league that aggregate shots were fired successful Tuesday's incident.

"In Pima County, we're not tolerating immoderate maltreatment of a instrumentality enforcement officer… immoderate benignant of abuse, but that goes for our citizens arsenic well," the sheriff said.