The ICE agent identified at the scene of Thursday's shooting in upper Manhattan has a documented history of alleged misconduct, according to a WIRED investigation. Brenden Cuni, a supervisor on ICE's National Fugitive Operations team, was the only federal agent captured on video brandishing a modified AR-15-style rifle during the operation that left Oscar Belgal hospitalized with a neck wound. A five-year-old child in the car was reportedly unharmed.
Court records reviewed by WIRED show Cuni has been named in multiple lawsuits alleging violent arrests, including accusations that he used a Taser on a handcuffed man and was involved in forcing a pregnant woman to the ground in Minneapolis. In at least three federal cases this year, judges or the government found problems with his statements or paperwork. One judge called a warrant he signed 'fraudulent,' and another said doorbell footage 'largely contradicts' his account of an arrest.
For a business audience, the pattern represents a significant liability for the Department of Homeland Security. Repeated judicial findings of unlawful arrests can expose the agency to civil damages, undermine the evidentiary value of its operations, and create reputational risk that complicates public cooperation. DHS has defended the latest operation, saying agents were attempting to apprehend an undocumented immigrant with a prior grand larceny conviction, but the WIRED investigation suggests the agent at the center of the incident has a track record that may invite closer scrutiny of ICE tactics.