A Russian national who lives in Costa Mesa was charged Wednesday in a federal criminal complaint alleging he bit and injured an immigration officer who had detained and arrested him.
Maksim Zaitsev, 35, is charged with assault on a federal employee resulting in bodily injury, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Zaitsev was scheduled to make his initial appearance Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
“The men and women of Immigration and Customs Enforcement are critical to protecting national security and public safety and upholding the rule law,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally said in a statement. “As alleged in the felony criminal complaint, the defendant attacked a deportation officer. He will be held accountable for his actions.”
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, on Tuesday morning two ICE officers announced themselves and arrested Zaitsev in connection with an administrative arrest warrant issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, prosecutors said.
After handcuffing Zaitsev, the officers attempted to escort him to be processed. Zaitsev allegedly became agitated while the agents walked him through a hallway. Zaitsev resisted, and while the officers attempted to regain control of him, he bit one officer on the left pinky finger, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The bite broke skin, drew blood and broke the finger, court papers show.
If convicted, Zaitsev would face up to 20 years in federal prison, prosecutors noted.
