Illegal alien hides in tree for 8 hours in failed attempt to escape ICE arrest

An illegal alien trying to escape arrest by federal officials climbed a tree and hid for 8 hours before getting captured, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

ICE said 29-year-old Raul Ical was wanted for warrants related to entering the country illegally and was found by federal agents and state troopers during a traffic stop on April 29. They said he was a passenger in the car and ran off when they tried to apprehend him.

‘I got to give it to the guy for climbing a tree really quick. That was pretty good thinking.’

Texas residents of a neighborhood on the west side of San Antonio said they were surprised to see a man scale a ladder, scramble onto a roof, and then climb into a tree at a home near Ceralvo and South Navidad streets.

Ical stayed in the tree until officers persuaded him to come down and face arrest. He is originally from Guatemala and had been removed in 2013 but returned to the U.S. illegally.

One woman told KSAT-TV that she returned from running an errand to find officers all over her neighborhood.

“I just stayed here looking at all the excitement [wondering] when he was going to come and get down,” said the woman, who wanted to remain anonymous. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything here around my neighborhood.”

Mike Howell, who works at a nearby business, credited Ical for his clever attempt at evasion.

“They walked around and didn’t see him and then looked up and went, ‘Oh!’ There he was in the tree,” the man said. “I got to give it to the guy for climbing a tree really quick. That was pretty good thinking.”

Howell said he watched as Ical was led away.

“It was an interesting day. That’s all I can say,” he said. “I imagine his perch was not that comfortable after about two hours or something. I’d imagine he was getting real sore.”

Video shows Ical being arrested by officials in the news report from KENS-TV on YouTube.

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