A routine checkpoint on a quiet stretch of Texas highway turned into a violent federal crime that would ultimately send a young man to prison.
Kevin Dominguez, a 26-year-old from Katy, Texas, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after a dramatic and dangerous encounter with U.S. Border Patrol agents that unfolded on August 1, 2023. What began as a standard inspection at a Border Patrol checkpoint along U.S. Highway 57 quickly spiraled into chaos.
As Dominguez drove his sedan toward the checkpoint, trained U.S. Border Patrol canine units were conducting routine sweeps of passing vehicles. One of the dogs suddenly alerted agents to suspicious movement coming from the trunk of Dominguez’s car—a signal agents are trained to treat as an immediate red flag. Upon closer inspection, officers discovered a person concealed inside the trunk, a revelation that instantly elevated the situation from routine to critical.
Rather than complying with agents’ commands, Dominguez made a reckless and split-second decision that would change his future. In a sudden attempt to escape, he threw the vehicle into reverse, accelerating directly into the checkpoint area. In the process, he struck a U.S. Border Patrol agent with his car, endangering the officer’s life and anyone else nearby.
After hitting the agent, Dominguez fled the scene, turning the highway into the backdrop of a federal manhunt. The assault on a federal officer and the attempted escape transformed the incident into a serious criminal case, drawing swift attention from federal authorities.
Federal prosecutors later emphasized the severity of Dominguez’s actions, noting that using a vehicle as a weapon against law enforcement carries grave consequences. His conviction and subsequent 18-month prison sentence underscore the risks Border Patrol agents face daily and serve as a stark reminder that violence against federal officers will be met with firm and decisive punishment.
What began as an attempt to evade detection ended with prison bars—an outcome shaped by a moment of panic, a dangerous choice, and a split-second act that crossed the line from crime into violence.
