New court documents detail the arrest of suspect’s brother charged in nursing student’s murder

MACON, Ga. (WALB) - The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia released the facts detailing Diego Ibarra’s, 26, arrest, and the events leading up to it, in of his detention.

Diego’s brother, Jose Antonio Ibarra, is the suspect in the death of nursing student Laken Riley, 22, on the University of Georgia’s campus.

Diego Ibarra’s arrest in Athens

Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACD) patrol officers were provided a photo of a Hispanic man wearing a distinctive baseball cap with an Adidas logo by homicide investigators.

On Feb. 23 at around 8:30 a.m., an ACD sergeant was patrolling the Argo Apartment Community and saw a Hispanic man who matched the description of the man in the surveillance photo, who was wearing an “identical hat.”

When approached, the man identified himself as Diego Ibarra. When asked for identification, he told officers that he did not have an ID, but had a University of Georgia food services employee nametag which read “Diego.”

Diego then led officers to his apartment where he handed over his ID, a United States Permanent Resident Card — also referred to as a “Green Card.”

Officers later found the Green Card was fraudulent due to its poor quality and the two separate birth dates listed.

The card was then turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents on the scene who verified that the identification was counterfeit.

Ibarra was then placed under arrest. The document says that this was not Ibarra’s first violation of an immigration offense.

Illegal entry into the United States

On April 3, 2023, Ibarra’s first documented event involving an immigration officer, when he illegally entered the country near Eagle , Texas, and was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Ibarra was then returned to Mexico that same day, but illegally re-entered the United States 27 days later.

Illegal entry into the U.S. and assault on Border Patrol agent

On April 30, 2023, a CBP surveillance camera operator spotted five males illegally crossing the U.S. border in Texas from Mexico. Border Patrol agents were notified and approached two of the men — later identified as Ibarra and Jose Lozado-Salas.

Agents attempted to apprehend Ibarra and Lozado-Salas, but when attempting to handcuff Lozado-Salas, he punched the agent in the face, according to a memorandum. At the same time, Ibarra resisted the agent’s attempts, grabbed the agent’s radio and threw it into a nearby yard. Ibarra also reportedly attempted to bite the agent, at one point.

The struggle lasted for about four minutes before National Guard arrived and helped in the apprehension.

Ibarra started complaining about chest pains and was taken to the Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso, where he was interviewed by an FBI special agent. During the interview, he itted to illegally crossing the border with four other men, all from Venezuela.

He said that when they encountered the two Border Patrol agents, three of the men ran. Ibarra tried to run, but one of the agents grabbed him and threw him to the ground.

Ibarra was not prosecuted in this case.

Evidence of gang affiliation

Court documents say Ibarra is part of a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, that has been involved in recent violent confrontations with law enforcement, and civilian victims in New York and throughout the U.S.

Multiple U.S. law enforcement agencies report large numbers of “TdA” in several states including Texas, New York, Illinois, Florida and Georgia.

TdA often have tattoos signifying their affiliation with the gang. The tattoos can consist of weapons, stars, clocks, trains, five-pointed crowns, and the dollar sign. After his arrest, photographs were taken of his tattoos which suggested that he was a member of the gang.

Diego Ibarra has a five-pointed crown tattoo on the left side of his neck, a five-pointed star... — Diego Ibarra has a five-pointed crown tattoo on the left side of his neck, a five-pointed star tattoo on the right side of his neck, and a teardrop tattoo under his right eye.(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Georgia)

HSI investigators identified several different social media s used by Ibarra. Several photos posted to these s show him and others flashing the TdA hand sign.

TdA gang frequently post photos flashing a specific hand sign(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Georgia)

He also posted several photos wearing Chicago Bulls attire, which is frequently worn by TdA gang .

Court documents say that it is common in gang culture to openly display photos of firearms. Federal law states that it is illegal for a noncitizen like Ibarra to possess a firearm in the United States.

On Feb. 7, Ibarra posted photos to his social media showing him holding what appears to be a firearm. He also posted an image of what appears to be a Glock and a Smith & Wesson pistol positioned next to an open box of ammunition.

Diego Ibarra posted photos of with firearms, which is a violation of federal law because... — Diego Ibarra posted photos of with firearms, which is a violation of federal law because noncitizens, like Ibarra, to possess a firearm.(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Georgia)

This document states that Ibarra is a danger to the “safety of persons and the community.” It requests that he be detained due to the risk that he will flee the jurisdiction.

Read the entire court document below:

Previous coverage:

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