BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Border Patrol agents arrested a previously convicted illegal alien over the weekend as he tried to re-enter the country illegally. A Texas court had convicted the Mexican national who tried to kill a Brownsville Police officer in 1989. 

The arrest took place on Sunday when U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested the illegal alien when he was trying to enter the country near Brownsville, information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Border Patrol revealed. During questioning by officers, the man gave authorities a false name and a false date of birth.

Upon further investigation, agents determined that the illegal alien from Mexico had been previously jailed for the attempted capital murder of a Brownsville Police officer in 1989. The agency did not release the man’s name. Breitbart Texas was able to identify the man through state court records as Marco Antonio Quintero.

Quintero was burglarizing a local convenience store in Brownsville and had been hiding behind the register when Brownsville Police Officer Luis Ponce arrived, according to information from the original case. Quintero came out from behind the register firing a handgun at Ponce. He struck the officer in the shoulder, knocking him down. Quintero rushed at the officer and tried to take his service revolver while holding the Texas cop at gunpoint. Ponce fought off the attack and began to fire his service revolver forcing Quintero to back off and then collapse near a door.

Quintero was sentenced to 65 years in prison for the crime. He was paroled after serving 25 years. It is unclear what took place after his release. But, Quintero had an outstanding warrant for parole violation.

Border Patrol agents turned Quintero over to the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office; he is expected to be sent to prison to serve the remainder of the 40 years from his original sentence.

“Border Patrol agents remain vigilant in their efforts to protect this nation from all threats, including predators and convicted criminals attempting to illegally enter the country,” said Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla Jr. in a prepared statement. “Thanks to the hard work of Border Patrol agents, this dangerous criminal was unable to make it into our community.”

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.