PHILADELPHIA, PA — Rafael Vega-Rodriguez, a 41-year-old man from Reading, Pennsylvania, was found guilty on all charges in a federal court on February 2, 2024. The charges included three counts of attempted murder of a federal law enforcement officer, three counts of assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, and two related firearms offenses.
The high-stakes chase began on the evening of March 1, 2020, when FBI Special Agents were on surveillance duty in the area of Gordon Street in Reading. They were keeping an eye out for Vega-Rodriguez, who had an active state arrest warrant for a parole violation.
The agents spotted Vega-Rodriguez strolling on West Greenwich Street with an accomplice around 11:45 p.m. As they moved in to apprehend him, Vega-Rodriguez whipped out a handgun from under his sweatshirt and fired at the agents. He continued to shoot while he and his companion made a desperate run for it.
After an exhaustive manhunt, investigators traced Vega-Rodriguez to Leola, Pennsylvania, some 30 miles southwest of Reading. In the early hours of March 3, 2020, the fugitive was finally apprehended by FBI Special Agents and Pennsylvania State Police Troopers.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero expressed her relief at the conviction, stating, “Rafael Vega-Rodriguez was so determined not to be arrested and go back to prison that he immediately opened fire on approaching FBI agents. Thankfully, none of the agents or bystanders were hit.”
Romero also highlighted the consequences of Vega-Rodriguez’s actions, saying, “When Vega-Rodriguez pulled the trigger that night, he sealed his own fate, and now faces spending the rest of his life behind bars.”
Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia, applauded the verdict, stating it served as a stern warning that violence against federal agents would be met with the full force of the law.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and successfully prosecuted by a team that included Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy M. Stengel and Everett Witherell, along with former Assistant United States Attorney Mary Futcher.
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