Texas man accused of menacing migrants with gun said he 'was doing it for America', federal complaint says
EL PASO, Texas — A man accused of pointing a gun at migrants trying to stay warm outside an El Paso, Texas, church allegedly said "he was doing it for America," a federal criminal complaint states.
Steven Mathew Driscoll was charged in federal court on Friday with being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the New Year's Eve incident outside Sacred Heart Catholic Church in the Segundo Barrio. Driscoll, 27, of East El Paso, has been at the El Paso County Jail since Thursday after his arrest by El Paso police on state felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, evading arrest in a vehicle, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
The federal charge follows an investigation by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, which were working with the police Special Investigations Unit.
Driscoll is a convicted felon who was sentenced to three years in the Texas prison system in 2018 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault-family violence, according to a criminal complaint filed by an FBI agent.
According to the complaint, Driscoll pointed a handgun in the direction of migrants and "was heard making a comment that 'he was doing it for America'" before driving away. There were no shots fired and no injuries were reported.
Hundreds of men, women, and small children — many from Venezuela — have taken refuge at the church. At night, women and children sleep inside church buildings while men sleep on sidewalks. The city has parked Sun Metro buses outside to serve as warming stations to help refugees fight the chill of winter nights. Volunteers provide food, blankets, and clothing.
The migrants are hoping to receive political asylum in the U.S. after a perilous journey that began in South America and crossed Central America and Mexico before arriving at the El Paso-Juárez Borderland.
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On the night of Dec. 31, a man driving a pickup allegedly pulled up and acted aggressively toward migrants and pointed a gun at some of them outside the church, police said.
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El Paso police responded shortly after 10:30 p.m. to a 911 call about a driver with a gun harassing migrants, but officers were unable to find the vehicle during a search of the area, police said.
At 12:37 a.m., police received a second 911 call reporting that the man was spotted driving near a migrant encampment along the sidewalks of Union Plaza near the Greyhound bus station, a few blocks away from the church, officials said.
Patrol officers pulled over a silver 2007 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab pickup on a traffic stop and asked the driver to exit. The man got out of the truck, jumped back in, and drove off. The police car had a mechanical problem and was unable to give chase, police said in a statement.
Rifle, ammo found in pickup
Police later identified the pickup, which had New Mexico plates, and obtained an arrest warrant for its owner.
When police showed up at a house with an arrest warrant for a relative of Driscoll, Driscoll stepped outside, saying he knew why police were there and said that his uncle gave him the truck for work, according to the federal complaint. Officers saw a rifle in plain view inside the truck parked on the street.
When questioned on Jan. 2, Driscoll allegedly told investigators that the truck and the rifle belonged to him and that he had the rifle and a suppressor on Jan. 1 and fled from police "because he had a rifle in his vehicle," knowing he was prohibited from having firearms because of his criminal record.
A Savage Model 64 .22-caliber rifle was in the rear passenger compartment of the truck when FBI agents served a search warrant on the vehicle, the complaint states. Driscoll allegedly told investigators he bought the rifle at a gun show.
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In the truck's passenger compartment, investigators also found a dozen 9 mm bullet casings, three 9 mm bullets, a casing of unknown caliber, four unmarked bullets, and an orange oil filter, the complaint states. The complaint does not mention any handgun being seized.
On Jan. 4, Driscoll surrendered to police at the Pebble Hills Regional Command Center and was arrested in connection with the incident downtown.