Texas authorities have arrested three illegal immigrants following a violent series of incidents involving gunfire on a busy highway, according to law enforcement officials.
Police say Anthony Acevedo and Jose Alarcon-Sanchez were taken into custody after allegedly firing weapons from the Margaret McDermott Bridge on New Year’s Eve. Investigators reported recovering more than 100 shell casings from the area, underscoring the severity of the incident.
Both men face charges of Discharge of a Firearm in Certain Municipalities, a Class A misdemeanor. Acevedo has since been released on bond, while Alarcon-Sanchez remains in custody under an immigration hold, authorities confirmed.
A third suspect, Anderson Derce Lara — also identified as an illegal immigrant — was arrested in connection with a separate but related road-rage attack. Police say Derce Lara fired multiple rounds into a vehicle occupied by three adults and three children, including a 3-year-old.
Derce Lara now faces six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony. Like Alarcon-Sanchez, he is being held on an immigration detainer.
Law enforcement officials emphasized that the shootings occurred on heavily traveled roadways, placing countless uninvolved drivers and families at risk during a holiday period when traffic was high.
The cases have reignited public debate over public safety, violent crime, and the handling of criminal cases involving individuals who are in the country illegally.
As the legal process moves forward, authorities say the investigations remain active and additional details may emerge regarding how the suspects obtained their firearms and what led up to the shootings.
