According to Texas DPS records, 32-year-old Benjamin Song, accused in a coordinated attack on an ICE facility, has been captured.
ALVARADO, Texas — The man accused of participating in a coordinated attack at an ICE facility in Texas has been caught, officials confirmed Tuesday.
According to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO), Benjamin Hanil Song, 32, was arrested at a Far North Dallas apartment complex in a coordinated effort with the FBI, DPS and SWAT teams.
Sources say officials made the arrest at the Meadowcrest Apartments late Tuesday afternoon. Records show Song was booked into the Johnson County Jail later that day.
Song, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, joined 11 others in the execution of an “ambush” against police officers at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado on July 4.
During the attack that night, an Alvarado police officer was shot in the neck and was then flown to an area hospital, treated, and released, officials said. No employees at the detention center were harmed, officials added.
According to an affidavit, on July 4, a group of 10-12 people, some carrying AR-style rifles and wearing Kevlar vests, shot fireworks toward the detention center. One or two suspects involved broke off and graffitied cars and other property, including writing “ICE pig” on a Toyota Prius, according to the document.
An Alvarado police officer arrived on the scene and was shot in the neck within seconds, authorities say. The gunman then fired 20-30 rounds at two correctional officers who were also outside the building. The APD officer was able to phone for help and return fire. He was later hospitalized and survived his injuries.
Alvarado Police Chief Teddy May told WFAA on Thursday that the unnamed officer is recovering, but “lucky to be alive.”
The suspects wore body armor, carried radios, spray-painted cars, and had an anti-fascism flag, according to an arrest affidavit. Subsequent searches of their cars and homes found balaclava masks, more guns and “anti-government propaganda,” an affidavit revealed.
Eleven of the suspects charged fled the scene but were later arrested by responding officers. However, Song evaded police. Location data associated with Song’s phone reportedly shows it was within several hundred meters of the detention center until after dark on July 5.
On July 9, officials issued a statewide Blue Alert, calling for information that could lead to Song’s arrest. DFW Airport security footage showed a man believed to be Song in a white Mercedes owned by one of his relatives. Officials said that the vehicle was later found on the same block as the residence of another suspect, Bradford Morris.
Officials have charged Song with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm during a violent crime. Officials say Song drove to the scene of the attack, his cell phone was pinged in the area, but authorities were unable to locate him, according to an affidavit obtained by WFAA.
Song is accused in the complaint of having bought four of the guns found in connection with the shooting, including two AR-style rifles.
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve confirmed Song served for nearly five years, with a specialization as a supply administration and operations clerk. He received an other-than-honorable discharge in 2016, court documents said. At the time, his rank was Lance Corporal, according to the Marines.
In 2023, Song faced a civil lawsuit alleging he was part of a group of armed counter-protesters who attacked a group of people gathering in opposition to a drag brunch in Fort Worth. Court records showed Song denied he was at the incident, and the group later dropped him from its lawsuit.
Authorities arrested two additional suspects on Monday, John Phillip Thomas and Lynette Read Sharp, for helping Song evade arrest, police said. Now, up to 14 people face charges in connection with the attack.