Man charged in Border Patrol clash

A dancing bongo-playing man who authorities say clashed with Border Patrol agents at a cross-border rally to protest border enforcement pleaded not guilty Tuesday to assaulting a federal officer.

Juan Esteban Ruiz, of Madison, Wis., "slammed" into an agent twice, once knocking him off balance, according to the complaint. Ruiz told authorities that he was "caught up in the moment" when he danced next to the agent and bumped into him.

Agents fired pepper spray and hit protesters with batons during the protest Sunday at the U.S.-Mexico border fence in Calexico, about 120 miles east of San Diego. Two other men were arrested on suspicion of assaulting a federal officer but have not been charged.

The Border Patrol defended its response, saying it stopped protesters from using metal bars to widen a hole in the steel fence. Protesters have claimed the hole was already there.

Ruiz, 21, was being held at Imperial County Jail after U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Lewis set bail at $10,000.

His court-appointed attorney, Diane Regan, said video of the clash showed the Border Patrol was aggressive toward the crowd and her client. The clash came at the end of a week of peaceful protests, including a march through downtown El Centro.

No Borders Camp, which describes itself as an international group that supports free movement across borders, posted a video of the clash on its Web site.

___

On the Net:

No Borders Camp: http://www.noborderscamp.org