Border Patrol Agent Allegedly Assaulted Near Arizona Border, Suspect Shot And In Critical Condition

A person accused of assaulting a federal officer near the Arizona-Mexico border was shot during an encounter with Border Patrol agents Tuesday and was reported in critical condition, authorities said.

The FBI is leading the investigation into what it described as “an alleged assault on a federal officer” near Arivaca, Arizona, and said the subject was taken into custody, according to Reuters. (RELATED: Top Border Patrol Leader Reportedly Leaving Minnesota After Second Deadly Shooting)

“We ask the community to remain patient and understanding as this investigation moves forward. PCSD will thoroughly examine all aspects of the incident, however, these investigations are complex and require time,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, according to Reuters.

TOPSHOT – Cattle rancher Jim Chilton holds his rifle while walking across part of his 50,000 acre ranch on the US-Mexico border on October 14, 2016 some 20 miles southeast of Arivaca, Arizona, where a barbed-wire fence is all that separates the two countries. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

Authorities have released few official details about what prompted the shooting. The Associated Press reported that the incident involved a Border Patrol agent and a suspect near Arivaca, a community roughly 10 miles north of the border, and that the person who was shot was airlifted for treatment.

Border Patrol agents tried to stop a pickup truck near Arivaca at about 7:20 a.m. local time, and that the driver ran and allegedly fired at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter and agents on the ground before agents returned fire, CBS News reported.

The driver was described by a law enforcement source as a U.S. citizen carrying at least one firearm and alleged to have a history of human smuggling, according to the outlet.

Officials have not identified the suspect or said whether any Border Patrol agents were injured.