ICE agent charged with assault for allegedly pointing gun at people on Minneapolis highway

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent on Thursday with two counts of second-degree assault, and there is a nationwide warrant out for his arrest.

Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 34, of Maryland, was detailed to the Minneapolis area during Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Operation Metro Surge.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Thursday that this is the first criminal case against a federal officer involved in the Minnesota immigration crackdown, which was part of a surge of forces into cities also including Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans.

“There is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal agents who violate the law in the state of Minnesota,” Moriarty said at a news conference, saying the agent acted outside the scope of a federal officers’ authority.

The charges stem from a confrontation on Feb. 5 at the interchange of eastbound Highway 62 and Interstate 35W in south Minneapolis, an area known for heavy congestion where two lanes reduce to one, according to the criminal complaint.

“Mr. Morgan sped up to pull alongside the victim’s vehicle,” Moriarty said. “Mr. Morgan then visibly slowed his vehicle to match the pace of the victim’s vehicle, opened his window, and pointed his duty weapon directly at both victims in the other vehicle while continuing to drive illegally on the shoulder.”

The victims reported seeing the handgun equipped with a red-dot sight and said they had no idea he was law enforcement. The complaint said Morgan’s vehicle was unmarked with Utah license plates.

The charges come with a nationwide warrant, which means the agent will be arrested and extradited back to Hennepin County to face the charges. If convicted, Morgan faces up to seven years in prison for each assault charge.

State Patrol investigators used traffic camera footage and license plate readers to track the Ford Expedition Morgan was driving that day, which was determined to be a rental vehicle leased to another ICE employee.

Traffic footage confirmed that after the initial confrontation, Morgan had the opportunity to merge or pass the victims. Instead, the video shows Morgan’s vehicle side-by-side with the victims for about six seconds before he accelerated away on the shoulder.

During a voluntary interview the following day, Morgan admitted to being the driver. He told investigators he was heading to the Federal Whipple Building to end his shift and get gas, and was not responding to an emergency or active operation. 

He told investigators that he feared for his safety after a driver on Highway 62 swerved in front of him. He admitted to drawing his Glock 19, which featured a laser light, and yelling “Police, stop” to get the driver to “back up.”

However, Morgan’s partner, who was in the back seat during the incident, confirmed the vehicle had no law enforcement decals and noted that Morgan “already had the firearm with the window down” when he began yelling. Morgan’s supervisor informed investigators that the agent never reported the incident.

Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department officials didn’t immediately respond to Associated Press emails seeking comment.

A person returning a call to a possible phone listing for Morgan said it was a wrong number for him. A message sent to a possible email address for Morgan bounced back as undeliverable. No one immediately returned a phone message left at a number for a person listed as sharing an address with Morgan. It was not immediately known whether he had an attorney who could speak for him.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.