Dallas man pleads guilty to firing gun at ATF agent during fit of road rage
A Dallas man pleaded guilty to shooting at an ATF agent in a road rage incident, federal prosecutors said.
Michael Fagan, 30, was charged via criminal complaint in April 2023 and was indicted in May, according to a Wednesday news release from U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Fagan pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of assaulting a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez.
On April 6, 2023, an ATF agent stopped at a red light in East Dallas and observed the driver of an SUV, later identified as Fagan, inside the vehicle “yelling and flailing his arms,” according to plea documents.
The agent rolled down his window and asked if Fagan was OK thinking he might be experiencing an emergency, the release said.
Fagan opened his door and started yelling at the agent and the agent told Fagan to get back in his vehicle. Fagan got back into his vehicle, leaned over the passenger seat, and turned around to face the agent holding a semi-automatic pistol, according to the release.
The agent ducked down below the dashboard and heard a gun discharge, the release states. The agent drew his weapon and fired three shots, hitting Fagan once.
Fagan fled the scene and was later arrested after he was taken to a hospital, according to the release.
He faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division, the Dallas Police Department, and the FBI’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Withers is prosecuting the case.
