A 63-year-old man was accused Wednesday of pointing a gun at ICE agents in West St. Paul this week. The West St. Paul City Attorney’s Office charged him with obstructing legal process with force, a gross misdemeanor, and four counts of misdemeanor fifth-degree assault, saying he caused fear of bod ily harm. West St. Paul police responded Monday to a report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that a man “just pulled a gun,” according to the criminal complaint. Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents told police they were parked in the lot at Home Depot, conducting surveillance, when the man started following them in his vehicle. They tried to lose him, but he followed them for several minutes and had a firearm in his hand at one point, the complaint said. Two other ICE agents told police they were driving a vehicle marked with “Police” and “ICE” when the man pulled next to them and “made a motion as if he was pulling a firearm from his waistband,” the complaint said. One of the agents pulled his service weapon, prompting the man to throw his firearm onto his own vehicle’s dashboard. Attorney Claire Glenn, who is representing the West St. Paul resident, said they dispute the charges. “ICE is essentially deputizing people that are kidnapping our neighbors and our community members,” Glenn said, adding that her client “was entirely within his rights to observe and document what people were doing. And in retaliation, this charge was brought, even though it was the ICE agents that pointed their weapons at him.” The man is a decorated Navy veteran who worked for the U.S. Postal Service for decades and “is a concerned community member who cares about his neighbors,” Glenn said. The man was arrested Monday and held in the Dakota County jail until Wednesday, when he posted $6,000 bond. The incident came a day after a federal agent fired a service weapon in St. Paul. No one was struck. A DHS spokesperson said it happened when ICE officers identified a man illegally in the U.S. from Cuba. He drove off, struck two ICE officers and multiple vehicles before he was arrested, according to DHS. ICE has stepped up its efforts in the Twin Cities with Operation Metro Surge beginning Dec. 1, and DHS said Friday that more than 670 people had been arrested. ICE operations ordered as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on both legal and illegal immigration have drawn observers and protesters. Related Articles Sheriff’s office investigating homicide, attempted suicide in rural Dakota County Grand jury declines to indict man in shooting that killed teen at Kentucky State University After missing deadline, DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish releasing Epstein files Minneapolis man convicted of triple murder in homeless encampment shooting St. Paul man who shot at mother, shutting down Metro State, sentenced to prison ...read more read less