A Mexico resident was arrested last week and charged with assualt on a Customs and Border Protection agent after a struggle during which he was able to get the agent's stun gun.

Alfredo Perez-Rodriguez, 18, of Mexico, was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol and charged with assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, the incident occurred May 8 when Border Patrol agents responded to a report of five undocumented people walking north in the San Pedro River near the U.S.-Mexico border.

 When the agents approached the group, they all fled on foot, including Perez-Rodriguez. After a brief pursuit, agents attempted to arrest Perez-Rodriguez, but he resisted and fought with the agent-victim, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

During the struggle, officials said Perez-Rodriguez gained control of the agent-victim’s Taser and pointed it at the agent-victim’s chest and face. The defendant continued to fight even after another agent arrived to assist the agent-victim, but was eventually taken into custody.

If convicted, Perez-Rodriguez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Nathaniel J. Walters, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.