A Jamaican man who overstayed his visit to the United States was arrested in Orlando after threatening to kill an immigration employee and then assaulting a federal officer, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Oniel Christopher Russell, 39, told officials he was visiting the U.S. for pleasure when he arrived from Jamaica in October 2008. He was allowed to stay until January 2009, prosecutors said.
But in 2013, deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said, they found Russell had a handgun. It’s unclear why Russell was not arrested or deported at that time.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services got involved, and in 2016, Russell threatened to kill an employee while talking on the phone, federal court records show.
Prosecutors say he also posted a rap video on YouTube called “Cop Killer.” The video shows Russell and a friend singing and dancing in front of two vehicles as they drink alcohol.
He talks about killing officers and never letting them capture him.
“You will get bullets quick, quick, quick,” he says in the song as he flashes what appears to be a black handgun tucked in his pants.
A warrant for his arrest was filed.
Agents received a tip on April 25 that Russell was living in a home on Kerry Drive in Orlando. When they approached, Russell became “belligerent and verbally combative,” a federal criminal complaint states.
He tried to run inside the home, and one of the agents tried to handcuff him, prosecutors said.
That’s when Russell pulled the agent into a wall, knocked him to the ground, then started to drag him toward the home.
Russell then stopped resisting and was placed under arrest, court records show.
He was charged with being an illegal immigrant in possession of a firearm and felony assault on a federal officer.
Russell has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He faces up to 18 years in federal prison if convicted.
chayes@orlandosentinel.com
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