A man who authorities say was involved in a human smuggling operation was shot Tuesday in an exchange of gunfire with the U.S. Border Patrol and after firing at a federal helicopter near the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said.
Federal agents were attempting to apprehend the 34-year-old Arizona man during a traffic stop near Arivaca, Arizona, when he fled and shot at a Border Patrol helicopter and at agents, authorities said. Agents returned fire, striking the man and wounding him, said Heith Janke, special agent in charge of the FBI in Phoenix.
The suspect, Patrick Gary Schlegel, was transported to a hospital and was recovering from surgery Tuesday evening, authorities said. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said during a news conference that he believes the Border Patrol agent involved in the shooting “acted lawfully" based on what is known so far.
“The investigation is still ongoing. There may be other things that show up,” Nanos said.
Prior to the shooting, agents had attempted to stop the same vehicle but the occupants drove away, Nanos said. Later in the morning, a Border Patrol agent saw the vehicle in the same area and attempted to stop it, but the driver fled on foot.
Schlegel was in federal custody and expected to be charged with assault on a federal officer, human smuggling and being a felon in possession of a firearm, Janke said.
“Let me be clear, any assault on law enforcement officers will not be tolerated,” said Janke.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement late Tuesday that it would provide more information when available.
Schlegel has a criminal history that includes a December warrant for escape stemming from a human smuggling and firearms conviction, court records show. On Dec. 15, Schlegel signed out of the institution in Tucson where he had been incarcerated to go to a counseling session but did not return, court records show.
Two years earlier, in 2023, Schlegel was charged with transporting people in the U.S. illegally for financial gain in Arizona after authorities said he loaded more than a dozen people near the border into a truck, hid them under a tarp and drove away, court records show.
Agents followed the truck before Schlegel crashed and fled on foot, then allegedly threw rocks at a government helicopter before he was apprehended, the records show. Two pistols were found in the truck.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the FBI asked it to lead a use-of-force investigation of the Border Patrol. It noted that such investigations are standard when a federal agency is involved in a shooting in the county.
The sheriff’s department said its involvement in the investigation was the result of “long standing relationships” built over time in the border area to promote transparency.
Nanos, a Democrat, has previously said his agency will not enforce federal immigration law amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown and that he will use his limited resources to focus on local crime and other public safety issues.
He said Tuesday there is video from the shooting but wasn't sure if it's police body camera footage or where it originated.
Arivaca is a community about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the border. Agents regularly patrol the area because it's a common path for drug smugglers and migrants who illegally cross the border.
Border Patrol agents fired weapons in eight incidents during the 12-month period through September 2025, 14 times during the year before that and 13 times the year before that.
The shooting comes in a month that has seen three shootings — two fatal — by immigration officers involved in the massive Homeland Security enforcement operation in Minnesota.
While there were numerous videos of those shootings taken by residents monitoring the enforcement operations in the Minneapolis area, the latest shooting in Arizona happened in a remote desert community of about 500 people without much video surfacing.
Associated Press writers Jacques Billeaud and Sejal Govindarao in Phoenix contributed to this report.
FILE - A U.S. Border Patrol patch is seen, Nov. 3, 2025, in Rosemont, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Iga Swiatek picked up a theme that Coco Gauff left the Australian Open with after the 21-year-old American's racket-smashing, frustration-releasing moments away from the court went viral.
Gauff said a “conversations needs to had” about the seemingly limitless access-all-areas cameras that track players from the locker room to the court and just about everywhere in between.
After her 7-5, 6-1 quarterfinal loss to fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina on Wednesday, Swiatek was asked how she feels about the lack of off-camera areas for the players and what she thinks should the balance between entertainment, constant content and player privacy.
“Yeah, the question is, are we tennis players, or are we, like, animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop, you know?” she said, apologizing slightly for the latter reference. “OK, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy.
"It would be nice also to, I don’t know, have your own process and not always be, like, observed.”
Swiatek and Gauff are two of the top three players in women’s tennis, so it stands to reason they’ll be more in focus at the tournament.
Vision of Swiatek being stopped by security after forgetting her credential became a meme. She's won four French Open titles as well as Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. But security is, well, security.
The off-court camera surveillance occurs at other tournaments and isn't confined to the Australian Open, where organizers have created a three-week festival around the season-opening major by incorporating all kinds of fan engagement activities.
The vision from the non-public areas stadium isn't always broadcast, but players don't need reminding that some moments that get captured will turn up on the internet for being cute, informative or just outright dramatic.
No. 2-ranked Swiatek said there were parts of her game she'd like to practice immediately before walking out for a match and “it would be nice to have some space where you can do that without the whole world watching.”
The 24-year-old is one of Poland's star athletes, and is fully aware that being in the public gaze is part-and-parcel of being a tennis champion.
“We’re tennis players. We’re meant to be watched on the court, you know, and in the press. That’s our job,” she said. "It’s not our job, like, be a meme when you forget your accreditation.
“Oh, it’s funny, yeah, for sure. People have something to talk about. But for us I don’t think it’s necessary.”
No. 3-ranked Gauff, a two-time major winner, smashed her racket into the concrete floor of a ramp near the player area seven times after her Australian Open quarterfinal loss to Elina Svitolina on Day 10.
She struggled with her serve in the 59-minute match, and stayed composed as she left the center court before trying to find somewhere in the shadows to vent.
Turned out, there’s pretty much no place with the confines of Rod Laver Arena except for the locker rooms that is beyond the scope of the cameras.
“Certain moments — the same thing happened to Aryna (Sabalenka) after I played her in the final of the U.S. Open — I feel like they don’t need to broadcast,” Gauff said in her post-match news conference. “I tried to go somewhere where I thought there wasn’t a camera because I don’t necessarily like breaking rackets."
She said she didn't want to smash her racket on the court within sight of fans because she didn't think it was a good look, which is why she saved it for a quieter area.
“So, yeah, maybe some conversations can be had," she said, "because I feel like at this tournament the only private place we have is the locker room.”
Coco Gauff of the U.S. walks from the court following her quarterfinal loss to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Coco Gauff of the U.S. reacts during her quarterfinal match against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Iga Swiatek of Poland takes a drink during her quarterfinal match against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Iga Swiatek of Poland walks from the court following her quarterfinal loss to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
