An intense, weeklong manhunt for Benjamin Hanil Song—an alleged shooter at the Prairieland Detention Center on July 4th—has ended with his arrest by FBI agents in Dallas, Texas, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.
Song’s capture marks the fourteenth arrest in the case. Court documents reflect that Song, a former United States Marine Corps reservist, joined ten others in an organized attack against officers at the Prairieland Detention Center just after 10:30 p.m., Friday, July 4. Song has been charged by federal complaint with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
Ten others charged with these offenses in a July 7th complaint include Cameron Arnold, Savanna Batten, Nathan Baumann, Zachary Evetts, Joy Gibson, Bradford Morris, Maricela Rueda, Seth Sikes, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto. Also on July 7, Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada was charged with obstruction of justice for concealing evidence related to the ambush after talking with Rueda, who was in custody at the time. Two others, John Thomas and Lynette Sharp, were charged on July 14 with accessory after the fact when law enforcement agents determined that they helped Song abscond from the Prairieland area and evade arrest.
The complaints allege that group was dressed in black military style clothing. The group began shooting fireworks towards the detention center, and some sprayed graffiti on vehicles and a guard structure in the parking lot at the facility. These destructive acts were designed to lure correctional officers outside the facility. After correctional officers called 911 to report suspicious activity, an Alvarado police officer responded to the scene. Upon exiting his vehicle, the officer was shot in the neck by a defendant positioned in nearby woods. Another alleged assailant across the street fired 20 to 30 rounds at unarmed correctional officers who had stepped outside the facility.
As alleged in the complaints, Song purchased four of the guns associated with the ambush. Additionally, defendants communicated using Signal Chat groups to plan the attack and share reconnaissance, including an image of the Prairieland Detention Center that identified the locations of six local police departments.
Ten assailants charged in the July 7th complaint fled from the detention center but were apprehended by additional responding law enforcement officers. Song, however, was not located by law enforcement officers that night. As alleged, the location data associated with Song’s cellular telephone indicates that his phone was located within several hundred meters of the Prairieland Detention Center from late in the evening of July 4, 2025, until after dark on July 5, the day after the shooting.
“After the immediate apprehension of Song’s coconspirators at the scene, the FBI and our federal prosecutors—together with our other law enforcement partners—worked tirelessly around the clock pursuing Song. Their tremendous efforts culminated in the arrest of this alleged violent criminal today,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson. “Though Song escaped by hiding overnight after the attack, we were confident he would not remain hidden for long. The fourteen individuals who planned and participated in these heinous acts will be prosecuted, and we expect justice will be swift.”
“The FBI has worked tirelessly to arrest everyone associated with the shooting at the Prairieland Detention Center. We would like to thank all the entities that publicized this case and assisted in our efforts to successfully locate Benjamin Song,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “His arrest is the result of our determination to protect not only the community, but also our law enforcement partners that were the targets of a coordinated attack. We have said it before, the FBI will not tolerate acts of violence toward law enforcement and will thoroughly investigate anyone that commits these types of offenses.”
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted, most of the charged defendants face a minimum penalty of ten years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Those defendants charged with obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact face a maximum of ten years and fifteen years in federal prison, respectively.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI—Dallas, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Office (ICE ERO), ATF, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Alvarado Police Department, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.