Charges: Man followed ICE agents and pulled gun on them

A 63-year-old Dakota County man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly pulled a gun on United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Charging documents state that West St. Paul police officers were called to a home on Charlton Street near Langer Circle on Monday after Homeland Security reported that a man in a blue pickup truck “just pulled a gun.”

When West St. Paul police arrived at the scene, court documents state that they saw a man, Thomas Edwards, standing on the sidewalk in front of his driveway, yelling at ICE agents.

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When officers told Edwards he was being arrested, he allegedly responded that he was “ready to start (expletive) fighting all of ya.” Charging documents say Edwards added that the ICE agents “pulled a gun on him so he took his gun out,” and later said he “would have shot [an ICE agent] because he was pointing a gun at me.”

Two ICE agents told police they were parking in a Home Depot parking lot “conducting surveillance” when Edwards started following them, according to court documents. They added that he followed them for several minutes, was screaming, blowing a whistle and driving erratically and at one point held a firearm.

Two other ICE agents, who told police they were in a marked vehicle, reported that Edwards pulled up next to them and acted as if he was pulling a gun from his waistband. That’s when one of the agents pulled his gun, according to court documents.

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The criminal complaint states that when the ICE agent drew his weapon, Edwards put a gun on the dashboard of his truck and then screamed at the agents to “get the [expletive] out of here.”

Dakota County prosecutors charged Edwards on Christmas Eve with obstructing the legal process and four counts of fifth-degree assault. Obstruction is a gross misdemeanor that carries up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine, while the assault charges — defined as “intentionally causing fear of immediate bodily harm upon another” — are misdemeanors punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

He made his first court appearance on Wednesday and is set for another hearing early next month.

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