Overview
- Marimar Martinez pleaded not guilty to using a vehicle to assault federal agents, and the court set her trial for Feb. 2.
- U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis ordered the Border Patrol agent’s SUV returned to Chicago on a flatbed after learning it had been driven to Maine before defense inspection.
- Court records show a Nov. 6 hearing will examine who authorized the SUV’s removal and whether its condition as potential evidence was compromised.
- Defense attorneys say body-camera footage undercuts the agents’ account and are seeking a speedy trial and potential remedies if mishandling is confirmed.
- The Department of Homeland Security says agents were boxed in near 39th and Kedzie and one fired five shots; prosecutors say a loaded gun was in Martinez’s car, while the defense says it remained holstered in her purse with a valid license.