Russian national charged with biting ICE officer during DTLA arrest
LOS ANGELES - The Justice Department charged a Russian national on Wednesday with assaulting a federal officer during an arrest in downtown Los Angeles earlier this week.
The complaint alleges that Maksim Zaitsev bit the officer's hand so hard that it broke the officer's finger.
What happened?
What we know:
Maksim Zaitsev of Costa Mesa was charged on Wednesday with assault on a federal employee resulting in bodily injury.
The alleged attack happened on Feb. 25. According to the complaint, two Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were serving an administrative warrant downtown that morning. The officers arrested Zaitsev.
The officers handcuffed Zaitsev and tried to bring him in for processing. That's when they said Zaitsev started to fight back, and during the struggle, Zaitsev allegedly bit one of the officers on the pinky.
The bite
The alleged bite was so hard, it broke the skin and even broke the officer's finger, according to the DOJ.
A photograph shared on X appears to show the bite.
Credit: Bill Melugin via X
What we don't know:
It's unclear what the initial warrant was for.
What's next:
Zaitsev was expected in court on Wednesday.
If he is convicted, Zaitsev would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The Source: Information in this story is from a Department of Justice press release issued on Feb. 26, 2025.