A suspected pimp and Tren de Aragua gang member trying to protect his prostitute while the pair were fleeing from Border Patrol in Portland, Ore., now faces federal charges for violently striking a federal law enforcement vehicle.
The driver, Luis David Nino-Moncada, was charged with aggravated assault of a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon and depredation of federal property in excess of $1,000, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Monday.
He is alleged to have repeatedly rammed a Border Patrol vehicle, threatening the safety of federal law enforcement officers, and then fled after being shot.
Nino-Moncada sustained an injury to the arm, while the passenger, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, was hit in the chest. They were taken to local hospitals.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent fired at the suspects after Nino-Moncada “repeatedly struck a federal law enforcement vehicle, placing Border Patrol agents in harm’s way and resulting in significant damage to federal property,” the DOJ said in a statement.
Trump officials quickly defended the agent’s actions, saying the agent followed his training and responded in self-defense to protect himself and others.
“Anyone who crosses the red line of assaulting law enforcement will be met with the full force of this Justice Department,” Attorney General Pam Bondi shared on X. “He should NEVER have been in our country to begin with, and we will ensure he NEVER walks free in America again.”
Anyone who crosses the red line of assaulting law enforcement will be met with the full force of this Justice Department.
According to a newly unsealed complaint, Luis Nino-Moncada — an illegal alien in Portland, Oregon with ties to Tren de Aragua — is alleged to have repeatedly… pic.twitter.com/uC6rk4Uode
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 12, 2026
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche added: “Suspected TdA criminal alien gang members who came here illegally under Biden and allegedly attacked federal officers and destroyed federal property. DOJ welcomes them to the find out phase.”
Suspected TdA criminal alien gang members who came here illegally under Biden and allegedly attacked federal officers and destroyed federal property. DOJ welcomes them to the find out phase. https://t.co/GxDuZIy3oi
— Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) January 12, 2026
The incident occurred Thursday, Jan. 8, in a medical clinic parking lot near Adventist Medical Center in Southeast Portland, authorities said.
Zambrano-Contreras, the intended target of the traffic stop, was a passenger in the vehicle. She is also reportedly a prostitute and Tren de Aragua affiliate who never checked in with immigration agents.
The two suspects are criminal illegal aliens from Venezuela who were released into the country by the Biden administration. Nino-Moncada also had a final order of removal issued in 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed following the incident.
DHS repeated and expanded on their backgrounds Friday morning in a post on X.
As the news of the shooting broke, DHS had to refute fake media claims from CNN and others that Nino-Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras were an innocent married couple.
“REVOLTING LIES! The two criminal illegal aliens who attacked Border Patrol in Portland are a gang member and his prostitute NOT an innocent ‘married couple,’” DHS responded on social media.
REVOLTING LIES!
The two criminal illegal aliens who attacked Border Patrol in Portland are a gang member and his prostitute NOT an innocent “married couple.”
The driver of the vehicle, Luis David Nico Moncada is a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela and suspected Tren de… pic.twitter.com/XfwfBtoU75
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 9, 2026
According to the criminal complaint, Border Patrol agents initiated a targeted stop on a vehicle believed to belong to Zambrano-Contreras. She was connected to a July 2025 shooting in Washington County during a prostitution deal that went bad, DOJ officials said.
Instead, Nino-Moncada was driving and Border Patrol agents ordered him to exit the vehicle.
Nino-Moncada reportedly ignored the commands and placed his vehicle in reverse, colliding with an unoccupied Border Patrol vehicle with enough speed and force to cause significant damage, the DOJ said.
Nino-Moncada continued the forward and reverse maneuver, striking the Border Patrol vehicle multiple times. A Border Patrol agent interviewed by FBI special agents described “being fearful that Nino-Moncada could strike them and other Border Patrol agents with the target vehicle.”
According to DOJ, Nino-Moncada admitted to intentionally using a red pickup truck to ram the federal vehicle. He told police he knew they were immigration agents, and said “f*** ICE” while having a tourniquet applied to his gunshot wound by medics, FOX News’ Bill Melugin posted on X.
BREAKING: DOJ has just charged the Venezuelan illegal alien shot by Border Patrol in Portland on Thursday with 18 USC 111 (aggravated assault of a federal officer w/ a deadly weapon), and they've provided photos of the badly damaged BP vehicle they say he rammed several times… pic.twitter.com/3Ciy1EZd35
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 12, 2026
DOJ officials released photos that show the banged-up Border Patrol vehicle. The repeated impact destroyed the front bumper and both headlights. The front driver-side quarter panel, driver side rear-passenger door and quarter panel also sustained damage.
A Border Patrol agent fired into the vehicle, striking the suspects, but they still fled the scene in the damaged vehicle. They drove several miles before calling 911 to report their injuries, DHS officials said.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day later confirmed details about the pair to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Day also that Zambrano-Contreras had been cited for prostitution in Washington County, and that Nino-Moncada was on hand when police served a warrant in that case.
Day said a “self-identified Venezuelan immigrant” who was the victim of a July shooting involving Zambrano-Contreras told police the suspects were members of the gang.
During a Friday press conference, Portland Chief Bob Day appeared to wipe away tears and described the two suspects as “our neighbors.”
Day choked up and added some dramatics as he confirmed DHS was right about their Tren de Aragua ties, but said the information in no way was meant to “disparage or to condone or support or agree with any of the actions that occurred yesterday.”
“I want to speak for just a moment, specifically to my Latino community. It saddens me that we even have to qualify these remarks because I understand or at least have attempted to understand through your voices, your concern, your fear, your anger,” Day said.
Besides her ties to the prostitution ring, Zambrano-Contreras, 32, illegally entered the United States in 2023 near El Paso, Texas, and was released under Biden. She was ordered to check in with immigration authorities after release, but never did, making her subject to immigration arrest.
FOX News also reported that Zambrano-Contreras is also now in federal custody, and is being charged by the DOJ in the Western District of Texas for illegal entry by an alien.
Moncada illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was released into the country by the Biden administration. Since then, he has been arrested for DUI and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
