A 16-year-old boy was paralyzed after being shot in the neck in Arkansas by an illegal alien suspect who was living in the U.S under a false alias, according to reports.
The horrifying incident unfolded on Saturday night in Searcy, a city in White County.
Police were called to the scene of a single-vehicle crash where they found the victim, who was apparently the driver, suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck.
Isaiah Toledo was reportedly driving home from a graduation party when he was struck by gunfire.
Searcy Police Department officers located spent shell casings in the yard of a residence near the scene of the crash and arrested a man initially identified as 44-year-old Edgar Gameros.
However, after fingerprinting, investigators determined the suspect was actually 45-year-old Candelario Gameros-Ante, an illegal alien who was removed from the U.S. in 2017.
Candelario Gameros-Ante, who was living under a false alias after obtaining the Social Security card of Gameros and using it to obtain a driver’s license, told police he “thought the cartel was after him,” according to KARK.
While searching the home where Gameros-Ante was apprehended, authorities reportedly encountered two more individuals on an ICE watchlist who were also taken into custody.
Gameros-Ante was charged with terroristic act and criminal impersonation.
He is being held at White County Detention Center on $1,000,000 bond.
Toledo is being treated at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, but doctors are reportedly unable to safely remove the bullet from his neck.
He has no sensation below his neck and his father believes he may be paralyzed for life.
Authorities continue to catch dangerous foreign criminals in the U.S.