Video shows Border Patrol SUV running over man on Tohono O'odham Nation

Rafael Carranza | The Republic | azcentral.com

TUCSON – A video uploaded to social media on Thursday shows a U.S. Border Patrol vehicle apparently striking a man recording the video on the Tohono O'odham Nation, then taking off while the man remained on the ground.

The 37-second clip shows the man recording the video, identified as Paulo Remes, walking onto a dirt roadway on Thursday evening as the Border Patrol SUV approaches in his direction.

But instead of stopping, the patrol vehicle continues moving at the same speed, apparently striking Remes, who ends up on the ground while the Border Patrol SUV continues driving away, the video shows.

U.S Border Patrol ran over an O’odham man today on the Tohono O’odham Nation.

This is an example of the fear O’odham have to face everyday because BP ravage our communities & are careless with our lives. pic.twitter.com/ZEbVlIe5cl — Indivisible Tohono (@Indivisible_TO) June 15, 2018

Remes can be heard reading out a series of letters and numbers, possibly the patrol vehicle's identification number.

"They just ran me over, bro. Yeah, they just ran me over, dude," Remes can be heard saying in the video, apparently speaking to someone. However, the images don't show the moments leading up to the incident.

In a statement released Friday, Border Patrol officials said they are aware of the video and working with the Tohono O’odham Police Department to look into the circumstances surrounding it.

"We stress honor and integrity in every aspect of our mission," the statement said. "We do not tolerate misconduct on or off duty and will fully cooperate with all investigations of alleged unlawful conduct by our personnel."

In addition, the Border Patrol said its internal watchdog office, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility, is also investigating the incident and that more information would be released at a later time.

The clip was uploaded on Thursday to Twitter and Facebook, where it was widely shared.

The video also elicited largely critical responses from Tohono O'odham Nation residents, many of whom have frequently complained of Border Patrol harassment and increased militarization throughout the southern Arizona tribal nation, which includes 62 miles of international boundary.

The Arizona Republic was unable to reach Remes for comment.

Remes told the Arizona Daily Star, in a story posted on its website Friday, that he was treated at a hospital for bruising. He said he was in front of his house, about 10 miles south of Sells, and saw the Border Patrol vehicle, then stepped into the dirt road on purpose and started recording the vehicle because, "I know they'll try to hit me.''

He told the Star that the driver did not turn around and try to help him.

READ MORE:

Border Patrol accused of vandalizing water aid stations in the deserts A humanitarian aid group accuses Border Patrol agents of systematically vandalizing water aid stations left for migrants in the Arizona desert.