Man arrested for evading police, driving recklessly at North Austin anti-ICE protest

Jose Rebollar (Austin Police Department)

AUSTIN, Texas - Court documents are revealing more details about an arrest at a recent anti-ICE protest in North Austin.

33-year-old Jose Rebollar of Austin has been charged with evading arrest or detention in a motor vehicle, a third-degree felony and misdemeanor reckless driving.

What we know:

Court documents say this incident happened around 4:17 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3.

Officers responded to the 9500 block of North Lamar about the protest where "hundreds of subjects were seen blocking traffic and lighting fireworks."

Officers reported seeing a vehicle doing "donuts" in the middle of the Rutland Drive-North Lamar intersection.

The vehicle, identified as a white 2007 Cadillac, then took off north on North Lamar. Police then attempted to catch up to the vehicle with lights and sirens going.

The Cadillac then turned into a shopping center and drove southbound, ignoring the officers' attempt to get the driver to pull over. Police reported there being hundreds of pedestrians on foot in the parking lot.

The driver had to "take several evasive actions" to avoid hitting the pedestrians and other cars.

The driver then turned left onto W. Rundberg Lane heading east, then took several small streets nearby before finally stopping. However when officers tried to conduct a "high risk stop", the driver took off again.

Police say the driver drove on about 10 feet of sidewalk northbound on N. Lamar with several pedestrians near the sidewalk. The driver then cut through a business and onto Shepard Drive before going through more side streets.

Eventually, the driver got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on W. Rundberg Lane. Officers tried several "low speed" interventions to try and stop him, but they were unsuccessful.

The driver then went into a parking lot where he was forced to stop due to a vehicle parked directly in front of him and hundreds of pedestrians around him.

The driver was identified as Rebollar and his front passenger was detained.

Rebollar was taken to the Travis County Jail and booked. Jail records say he is still there as of Feb. 6 and bond has been collectively set at $18,000.

The backstory:

On Monday, Feb. 3, a large anti-ICE protest filled a street in North Austin.

The protest happened at the corner of North Lamar and Rutland Drive, then later spread one block south to W. Rundberg Lane.

Attendees waived flags and held signs and vehicles displaying flags also drove along the road. Some of the signs read slogans like "Education not Deportation," "Immigrants make America great," and "We speak for those who can't."

APD later said two people were arrested. A second person was arrested after they refused to move out of the roadway.

APD said the gatherings were "mostly peaceful" but stated there was a group of "agitators" that engaged in violent behavior, throwing rocks and bottles at police officers and driving recklessly.

Officers used pepper balls, which APD says are "less lethal skin irritants" similar to pepper spray, in an attempt to prevent further violence.

Big picture view:

The protest happened due to ICE agents conducting nationwide sweeps as part of President Donald Trump's initiative to tighten enforcement on illegal immigration.

More than a dozen arrests were made in January in Austin and surrounding cities.

Trump has also lifted restrictions on migrants, allowing them to be arrested at sensitive locations like schools and churches.

The move reverses guidance that for over a decade has restricted two key federal immigration agencies — ICE and Customs and Border Protection — from carrying out immigration enforcement in sensitive locations.