Most of the charges against the man, who was cited by state police as a prime example of immigrant crime, were dropped

A Guatemalan man who the governor and Arkansas police held up as a poster child for the criminal dangers of a leaky southern border pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and reckless driving, both misdemeanors. The other charges against him – resisting arrest, fleeing and assaulting a police officer – were dropped.

Angel Zapet-Alvaradowho has been held at the Benton County Detention Center since his arrest on July 27, was sentenced to time served, a $500 fine, $300 court costs and a $40 booking fee.

“There are no assault charges, no resisting arrest charges, no escape charges. None of the charges that really made headlines,” defense attorney Aaron Cash said Monday.

This was a surprisingly mild result considering Governor Sarah Sanders And Arkansas State Police Director Mike Hagar pointed to Zapet-Alvarado’s July 27 arrest as evidence of the debunked but politically effective myth that immigrants are more prone to crime. (They are not.)

Dashcam footage released last week suggests the police officer was the attacker.

The footage shows the officer opening Zapet-Alvarado’s car door, seemingly without warning, pulling Zapet-Alvarado out, striking him 13 times, and finally shooting him in the head at point blank range. The bullet just grazed his temple. Zapet-Alvarado doesn’t speak much English, but he can be heard repeatedly yelling “Why?” during the minute-long wrestling match with the officer. At one point, Zapet-Alvarado snatches the Taser from the officer, but instead of shooting her back, he throws it into the street.

Sanders and Hagar released statements the day after Zapet-Alvarado’s arrest calling him a danger to society and an outlaw immigrant who attacked a police officer. Sanders blamed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, while Hagar said the fact that Zapet-Alvarado is an immigrant somehow made it particularly threatening.

“I feel the same fear and frustration when someone attacks one of our police officers, but it is even more disturbing that this suspect is an illegal, undocumented immigrant from Guatemala. This shows another level of lawlessness that will not be tolerated in our state,” he said in the July 28 press release.

The dashcam footage paints a very different picture. Critics say that the police officer’s confrontational and unorthodox approach probably put her and everyone else involved in unnecessary danger.

Arkansas State Police declined to comment for this article.

soldier Alexandria Duncan has said that Zapet-Alvarado, whom she had just driven onto the shoulder of Interstate 49, was actually trying to flee the scene of the accident and that she became violent when he tried to put the car in gear to flee.

Cash questioned her statement, pointing out that the brake lights never flicker on the dashcam video, but they would when a gear was engaged.

Benton County Prosecutor Josh Robinson concluded that Duncan’s use of force was justified under Arkansas law.

Zapet-Alvarado, who is undocumented, is currently in the Benton County Detention Center awaiting a hearing on his immigration status. He is married to a U.S. citizen and is seeking permanent residency, his attorney said.