A 16-year-old illegal immigrant was arrested in Texas after what authorities are calling "an attack on law enforcement."

Deputies with the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office told KRTK-TV that the male teen set fire to a deputy constable's patrol car Saturday in Manvel, Texas, about 25 miles south of Houston.

Getty Images

When officers went to confront him, he allegedly pulled out a rifle and pointed the gun at them through his car window just before taking off, resulting in a chase that involved the suspect hitting an officer, who was escorting a funeral.

The suspect, whose name was not released because he is a minor, crashed along a nearby farm road and was taken into custody.

Police say he claimed that he wanted to kill officers because they are always shooting people. He also pointed to officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sending people back to Mexico for what he called no reason, saying that Mexicans are the ones who do all the work in America, the Pearland Journal reported.

He was charged with arson, aggravated assault of a public servant with a deadly weapon, drug possession and evading arrest.

No officers were injured in the pursuit.

Last month, 32-year-old Kate Steinle was shot and killed in San Francisco allegedly by a Mexican national who had been deported from the U.S. five times, reigniting a national debate over illegal immigration and so-called "sanctuary cities."

(H/T: Pearland Journal)

–

Follow Jon Street (@JonStreet) on Twitter