The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida released a statement regarding a recent arrest involving an alleged assault on a law enforcement officer.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jennifer Susan Cruz, 40, of Jacksonville, has been charged in a complaint alleging she assaulted a police officer who was performing immigration duties. If convicted, Mr. Cruz could face up to eight years in federal prison. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
According to the complaint, federal immigration agents, with assistance from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), were conducting an operation in Jacksonville to locate and administratively apprehend aliens living in the United States illegally. Cruz was driving by and recorded on his cell phone an FHP officer attempting to stop him for a traffic violation. Cruz parked his car near the road closure and continued recording, yelling at officers. Immigration officials subsequently determined that the two occupants of the vehicle were aliens who were in the United States illegally.
Another officer approached Mr. Cruz and spoke to him about using a cell phone while driving. He asked for Ms. Cruz’s driver’s license, which she said she did not have, but did have a photo of it on her cell phone. During this exchange, Cruz became argumentative, confrontational, and continued to record. The officer advised Ms. Cruz that her recordings were fine and that his only concern was her dangerous and illegal use of a cell phone while driving. During the encounter, Cruz made unsolicited, inflammatory statements, asked the officer if he supported “Nazis,” clarified that he meant ICE, and asked him not to shoot him in the face. The officer advised Ms. Cruz that the ICE officers were there in an official capacity and were not there to discuss personal or political beliefs, but simply to address her traffic violation.
Mr. Cruz showed the officer a photo of his driver’s license, and the officer instructed Mr. Cruz to remain in the vehicle while they conducted further investigation. A records search revealed that Cruz’s license was suspended as of June 17, 2025. Because Cruz’s license was suspended, the officer called in a tow truck to impound his vehicle, which he was not legally authorized to drive. While the trooper waited for a tow truck, Cruz drove away. Multiple officers immediately activated their emergency lights and sirens and maneuvered their patrol cars into Mr. Cruz’s vehicle, stopping it approximately 200 feet from the road closure.
After the vehicle was stopped, the officer informed Mr. Cruz that the traffic stop had not been completed and that he intended to tow the vehicle due to his suspended license. He told her to get out of the car and hand over the keys so he could hand it over to the towing company. Mr. Cruz got out of the car, but immediately began to verbally abuse the officers and repeatedly refused to hand over his keys. In response to the officer’s instructions, Cruz responded, “I’m ready,” and when asked, he said he meant he was ready to fight. When the trooper attempted to retrieve the keys from Cruz, Cruz punched the trooper in the face with a clenched fist. Multiple police officers then converged on Cruz and arrested him on suspicion of assault.
Cruz resisted arrest by punching and attempting to kick officers. As Ms. Cruz continued to struggle with them, the officers took her to an FHP patrol vehicle, during which she attempted to kick the officer who struck her. As the officers tried to get Mr. Cruz into the vehicle, Mr. Cruz kicked an ICE agent, a Customs and Border Protection agent, and a police officer, and punched a CBP agent and an ICE agent, injuring his left hand. Officers were eventually able to secure Mr. Cruz in the patrol car, but Mr. Cruz continued to kick the car’s windows, roof and in-car camera.
While being transported in a police car, Cruz said he did not take any action to escalate the incident “over the car keys.” Later, while waiting for further transport, Cruz said on the phone that he had done something “really ugly” and that what he had done was not okay. Afterward, she told the officer who hit her that she was sorry for the hurt she caused, that she didn’t know why she acted that way, and that she knew officers had a job to do.
An indictment is simply a formal accusation that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The incident is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and the Florida Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold B. Korsmeier will prosecute.
