Arivaca [US], January 28 (ANI): A suspected human trafficking operative was critically injured after allegedly opening fire on US Border Patrol agents and a federal helicopter during a pursuit near the US-Mexico border in Arizona early Tuesday, CNN reported, citing Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.

According to authorities, federal agents attempted to stop a pickup truck near Arivaca shortly after 7 a.m. local time. The driver refused to pull over and later abandoned the vehicle, fleeing the scene on foot.

During the subsequent chase, the suspect allegedly fired multiple rounds at an Air and Marine Operations helicopter as well as Border Patrol agents on the ground. Federal personnel returned fire, striking the driver.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department identified the suspect as 34-year-old Patrick Gary Schlegel, a US citizen from Sahuarita, Arizona, about 40 miles northeast of the incident site, CNN reported.

Emergency responders treated Schlegel at the scene before he was airlifted by medical helicopter to a nearby hospital.

The Santa Rita Fire District said the driver was in custody and in critical condition when officials arrived, but later stabilised following surgery. No federal agents were injured in the incident.

The FBI has asked the Pima County Sheriff's Department to lead the use-of-force investigation involving the federal agent while conducting a parallel probe of its own, according to CNN.

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Professional Responsibility is also reviewing the shooting.

'We ask the community to remain patient and understanding as this investigation moves forward,' the Pima County Sheriff's Department said.

'PCSD will thoroughly examine all aspects of the incident. However, these investigations are complex and require time.'

The FBI is investigating 'an alleged assault on a federal officer,' Brooke Brennan, spokesperson for the agency's Phoenix field office, said.

Arivaca, a community of about 600 residents, lies roughly an hour south of Tucson and about 10 miles north of the international border.

CNN cited CBP statistics showing that federal officers were involved in 106 use-of-force incidents across the Tucson sector last year, most of them linked to vehicle or vessel encounters during operations.

So far this year, 27 such incidents have already been recorded in the same region, which stretches across most of Arizona from the New Mexico border to Yuma County.

The shooting comes amid heightened public attention on the Department of Homeland Security, though officials said there is no indication the agents involved were connected to the department's ongoing immigration crackdown.

The incident follows another recent federal law enforcement shooting, after officers killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis just days earlier, marking the city's second deadly federal shooting since additional personnel were deployed there this month, CNN added. (ANI)