The brave men and women at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are not the types of people who stand around as others break the laws of our nation. While not stopping criminal aliens from illegally crossing our borders, an off-duty CBP agent stopped another type of crime from taking place.
The off-duty agent arrived at a parking lot outside Park Place Mall in Tucson, Arizona on Saturday. After exiting his vehicle, the agent heard a woman screaming for help. Responding to her cries for help, the agent found four individuals – three men and one woman – attempting to steal the woman's purse and vehicle. When the agent confronted the assailants and instructed them to stop, the four suspects fled on foot. As a result, the woman's purse and vehicle were spared.
The Tuscon Police Department arrived a short time later and are currently investigating the incident. The off-duty agent and the victim both provided details of the incident to the police.
It's not the first time off-duty CBP agents came to the assistance of others.
In March, an off-duty Border Patrol agent ended a stabbing incident that took place inside a Sam's Club in Midland, Texas. After drawing his weapon, the suspect was disarmed and held until local law enforcement officers arrived.
In 2016, an off-duty female CBP agent along with a U.S. Marshal subdued an armed passenger on the D.C. metro.
"I was just doing my job. I appreciate the kudos, but this is what we train for every day," the CBP agent said.
CBP is one of the nation's largest law enforcement agencies. In 2019, CBP employed more than 19,500 Border Patrol agents and over 24,500 CBP officers.