A protester involved in a tense immigration enforcement-related demonstration in Peoria earlier this week is now facing felony charges.
Tyler Hitte, 22, faces two counts of aggravated assault and one count of resisting arrest following the June 10 protest outside a Peoria neighborhood that activists believed was the site of a coordinated ICE operation.
Tyler Hitte, 22, faces two counts of aggravated assault and one count of resisting arrest following a June 10 protest outside a Peoria neighborhood that activists believed was the site of a coordinated ICE operation.
The incident was previously reported as part of a larger effort by community organizations to track and document federal immigration enforcement activity in the Phoenix area.
According to a direct complaint filed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Hitte assaulted a Peoria police officer during the protest.
The complaint alleges Hitte both physically touched the officer with intent to injure or provoke and placed him in reasonable fear of imminent harm. A third charge claims Hitte used or threatened physical force to resist arrest by officers.
Hitte was arrested at the scene, booked into custody, and has since been released under pretrial supervision. Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 25.
Officials also confirmed she is facing a separate criminal charge related to a protest last year on the campus of Arizona State University.
The Peoria protest grew tense after demonstrators accused local police of assisting federal immigration officers. In a statement, Peoria police said it was only providing traffic control for a U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operation tied to a drug case — not immigration enforcement.
Ricardo Reyes, an organizer with the national group Common Defense, previously told KJZZ that the coalition behind the protests aims to bring transparency and accountability to federal operations.
“We want people to put that public pressure on ICE and Homeland Security to make sure that everything’s being done the right way,” he said.
Reyes has continued to urge protesters to remain peaceful, despite mounting tensions surrounding federal activity in the region.
