A Chicago woman who says she was shot by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent from Maine is now suing the federal government.

Marimar Martinez was driving the morning of Oct. 4, 2025, when she observed three federal agents who appeared to be surveilling a Chicago neighborhood during an immigration enforcement surge last fall, according to her complaint. The lawsuit says she began following the agents through her neighborhood, honking her horn and calling out to alert residents “of the danger she believed the approaching agents posed to them.”

The lawsuit alleges that agent Charles Exum swerved his vehicle into her lane before firing his handgun, shooting Martinez five times. Both the vehicle and gun were government issued, according to the complaint.

Exum never turned on his body camera, according to the complaint, in violation of CBP directive. Martinez alleged that body cameras from two other agents in Exum’s vehicle captured him driving into her lane. Their cameras also recorded an agent saying “do something, (expletive)” as Martinez honked at them, according to the complaint. About four seconds before Exum allegedly drove into Martinez’s lane, the lawsuit says, the videos also recorded an agent saying “it’s time to get aggressive.”

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for CBP said Exum is being investigated for the use of force incident by a board of officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. Exum was placed on administrative leave after the shooting, the spokesperson said. It’s unclear what the agent’s employment status is now.

Exum could not be immediately reached on Tuesday by phone or through either federal agency. He’s not a named defendant in the lawsuit.

Christopher Parente, Martinez’s attorney, said that Chicago police are also conducting a criminal investigation. A spokesperson for Chicago police said that the case remains active and open.

Martinez was charged in October 2025 with assaulting an officer after the other two agents accused her of ramming into their vehicle first. That charge was dismissed in late November.

In Martinez’s complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois on Monday, she is pursuing claims of negligence, battery, assault, infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment and false prosecution.

Martinez is a 30-year-old Montessori school teaching aide and a U.S. citizen, according to her complaint. Her lawsuit alleges that during the Department of Homeland Security’s “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago last year, agents were “targeting brown people … with little regard for their citizenship.”

Martinez told reporters during a press conference on Monday that she’s suing because “I want to spread awareness because what’s happening is not normal,” according to reporting from ABC7 Chicago.

“We shouldn’t sit here and normalize what’s happening,” Martinez said.

Exum’s name was revealed during Martinez’s criminal case last year, after her defense attorneys complained that he had driven the government vehicle to Maine before they could inspect it. According to documents obtained through a public records request, Exum is certified by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to enforce Maine law as a federal officer.

Martinez’s attorneys also shared copies of texts that Exum allegedly sent other federal agents after the shooting, in which he appeared to brag about his shooting skills.

“Cool. I’m up for another round of (expletive) around and find out,” Exum allegedly wrote in one text.

Martinez’s attorneys stated in court records that they filed a notice of their claim with the government six months ago.