SAN ANTONIO – A man is in custody after hiding in a tree for several hours in an attempt to avoid U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to authorities.
Raul Ical, 29, was a passenger in a vehicle during a traffic stop Tuesday, ICE said in a statement. During the stop, he exited the vehicle and fled on foot, entering the backyard of a nearby residence and climbing into a tree.
The incident happened on the West Side of San Antonio, near South Navidad and Hazel streets.
Ical had been hiding in the tree for at least six hours.
According to ICE, Ical is a Guatemalan national who faces federal criminal charges for illegal re-entry after deportation.
“Ical previously entered the United States unlawfully on March 27, 2013, and was subsequently removed to Guatemala on April 24, 2013,” ICE said in the statement.
At an unknown date, he reentered the U.S. illegally, ICE said.
Video captured by KSAT photojournalists showed Ical in the tree while ICE agents and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers surrounding the area.
ICE officials did not mention any violent charges that Ical is facing and did not provide more information about what led up to the traffic stop.
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