Minnesota authorities have taken the unusual step of seeking the arrest of a federal immigration officer, issuing a nationwide warrant for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr after an alleged armed road‑rage incident on a busy interstate. Morgan is facing serious allegations of armed aggression stemming from a traffic dispute that unfolded on a Minnesota highway on 5 February.
According to charging documents, the 35‑year‑old agent is accused of directing his service weapon at an occupied civilian vehicle while driving through Richfield, Minnesota. Hennepin County, the state's largest administrative division, is pursuing felony assault charges in connection with the incident. Legal experts have described the state's decision to prosecute as 'unprecedented', while some community advocates have called it 'necessary'.
Lane Dispute Leads To Felony Assault Charges
According to the official sequence of events, Morgan was commuting back from an active shift on that winter afternoon. The criminal complaint states that the federal agent was bypassing rush‑hour traffic by driving 'really, really fast' down the shoulder of Highway 62. In response, a civilian driver pulled onto the shoulder in an attempt to slow the speeding vehicle down.
After the civilian vehicle moved back into the normal flow of traffic, the county attorney alleges that the agent pulled up beside the car and pointed his handgun directly at the two occupants. The alleged presentation of a firearm during a brief traffic dispute prompted concern among local monitoring groups that track law‑enforcement conduct.
Hennepin County Pursues Second‑Degree Assault Counts
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced on Thursday that Morgan has been charged with two separate counts of second‑degree assault. Both are felony offences under Minnesota law and relate to the two occupants of the civilian vehicle.
Prosecutors have indicated that unauthorised displays of deadly force will be treated as criminal matters, regardless of whether the accused is a federal officer. Officials have said that law‑enforcement personnel are expected to follow the same laws that apply to other drivers on public roads.
At present, there is an active warrant for Morgan's arrest, but he is not yet in custody. Local police departments and other law‑enforcement agencies have been notified and are working to locate the ICE agent.
Operation Metro Surge Context Adds To Scrutiny
The incident occurred during Operation Metro Surge, a targeted enforcement initiative that brought a significant influx of federal agents into the Minneapolis–St Paul region. The operation has already drawn attention from community leaders, who have questioned oversight mechanisms for federal officers working within local jurisdictions.
The Highway 62 altercation has added to those concerns, highlighting tensions around how visiting federal personnel conduct themselves while deployed in the state. State officials and community advocates are watching the case as a potential test of how alleged misconduct by federal officers is handled in state courts.
ALERT: Minnesota county prosecutor Mary Moriarty has issued a warrant for an ICE agent after he allegedly pulled a gun on a vehicle that was blocking him from using the shoulder on a highway.
— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) April 16, 2026
Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. is charged with two counts of second-degree aggravated… pic.twitter.com/xY9U0qscgi
Next Steps For The Accused ICE Agent
With the warrant now active, the immediate focus for authorities is to bring Morgan before the court. Any sworn police officer who encounters the suspect is authorised to take him into custody.
If Morgan is apprehended and the case proceeds to trial, legal observers expect complex jurisdictional questions to arise because the defendant is a federal agent charged in state court. The two second‑degree assault charges carry the possibility of substantial custodial sentences if he is convicted.
Prosecutors in Hennepin County have said they intend to pursue the case based on the available evidence. The outcome is likely to be closely watched as a potential reference point for future cases involving federal agents facing criminal charges at the state level.
