NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A man who died Thursday morning after being struck by a vehicle while fleeing from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Interstate 264 in Norfolk has been identified.
State police say it happened around 11 a.m. on I-264 eastbound at the Military Highway interchange. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson identified the man as Jose Castro-Rivera, and said his death, while tragic, “could have been prevented had Castro-Rivera complied with our officers.”
When troopers arrived, they discovered a man who had been struck by a 2002 Ford pickup truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A preliminary investigation determined the man was fleeing from a pursuit initiated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, when he exited his vehicle and attempted to cross the interstate.
A statement from a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson identified the man who died as Jose Castro-Rivera, who, according to the DHS spokesperson, had “resisted heavily and fled the scene on a busy highway, creating a significant safety risk to himself and the general public.” The spokesperson said the vehicle stop was “part of a targeted, intelligence-based immigration enforcement operation.”
Read the full statement below:
“On Oct. 23, ICE officers made a vehicle stop as part of a targeted, intelligence-based immigration enforcement operation. Upon determining that the occupants were in the United States illegally, officers began detaining the occupants of the targeted vehicle. However, one of the vehicle’s occupants, Jose Castro-Rivera resisted heavily and fled the scene onto a busy highway, creating a significant safety risk to himself and the general public. Unfortunately, a passing vehicle struck Castro-Rivera.
“One of our ICE officers administered CPR to Castro-Rivera in an attempt to keep him alive. Unfortunately, Castro-Rivera perished. The officer then informed the three detained aliens that their friend had deceased. He then grieved and prayed with them.
“The death of this illegal alien is a direct result of every politician, activist and reporter who continue to spread propaganda and misinformation about ICE’s mission and ways to avoid detention, that has emboldened aliens to resist our federal law enforcement officers. Sadly, this is the tragic result of such resistance. This horrendous outcome could have been prevented had Castro-Rivera complied with our officers.”
— Department of Homeland Security spokesperson
One nearby neighbor, who did not wish to share his identity, shared his reaction to what happened.
“I just think it’s tragic that anyone would get hit, most particularly if they’re running for fear for their life and for that to happen to him, I just hope that it sends a message to other people, just to stop and talk to the officers, if that’s what’s going on, to clear that up,” the neighbor said.
He added that there are a few places to access the highway from the area where the incident happened.
“There are openings and the side wall,” the neighbor said. “That’s one way, or they could have come over from the park itself.”
Virginia State Police emphasized it was not involved in the pursuit and is only investigating the pedestrian crash.
