Veteran accused in ICE ambush captured in Dallas

Benjamin Song, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist wanted for his alleged role in a July 4 attack on an ICE detention center, was arrested by FBI agents in Dallas on Tuesday, ending a weeklong manhunt.

Catch up: Song, 32, is accused in the coordinated ambush at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado that left a police officer shot in the neck. The attack involved 10 to 12 individuals wearing black military-style gear who launched fireworks toward the facility and vandalized vehicles to draw officers outside.

Song allegedly purchased four guns linked to the shooting, including two AR-15-style rifles found in nearby woods where he is believed to have been positioned during the attack. A statewide Blue Alert was issued July 9 after he evaded capture, prompting his addition to the Texas 10 Most Wanted list with up to $35,000 in rewards offered.

Arrest details: FBI SWAT teams arrested Song without incident at the Meadowcrest Apartments in Far North Dallas late Tuesday afternoon alongside Department of Public Safety and local SWAT teams. He was booked into Johnson County Jail on a $15 million bond. He faces three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm during a violent crime.

A second person was simultaneously apprehended at a different location, bringing the total arrests to 15.

The suspect’s past: Song, the son of a lawyer and a martial arts studio program director, previously faced charges including a 2020 arrest in Austin for aggravated assault against a public servant during protests and a 2023 lawsuit naming him as a member of the anti-fascist Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club involved in a counter-protest at a Fort Worth drag show. If convicted in the latest case, he faces 10 years to life behind bars.

Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson said the individuals involved in the attack “will be prosecuted, and we expect justice will be swift.”