Federal authorities charge pair who allegedly helped ICE facility attacker escape after shooting

Federal authorities have charged two individuals in connection with a targeted attack on a Texas ICE detention facility earlier this month that left one officer injured as the final suspect remains on the run. 

John Phillip Thomas and Lynette Read Sharp are charged with alleged accessory after the fact in the July 4 shooting at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, according to court documents. 

"[Sharp and Thomas] were involved in Signal Chats, which show reconnaissance," Nancy Larson, the acting U.S. Attorney, told "Fox and Friends" on Tuesday, adding the pair are accused of "planning a Google map [and] the location of nearby police departments." 

Authorities are still searching for alleged attacker Benjamin Hanil Song. Song, 32, is wanted for his involvement in what officials say was an organized attack on ICE officials by a group of 10 to 12 individuals.

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John Phillip Thomas and Lynette Read Sharp are charged with alleged accessory after the fact in the July 4 shooting at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, according to court documents.  (Mark David Smith/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images; Johnson County Sheriff’s Office)

Four days after the attack, authorities executed a search warrant at Thomas’ home in Dallas, with Thomas initially denying knowing Song before admitting the pair had been friends since 2022 and previously lived together from September 2024 to late June 2025, according to court documents. 

Thomas allegedly told investigators he was housesitting for a friend on the day of the attack and met with three individuals the following day, later telling officials the group discussed the shooting and their plans to help Song flee the area. Court documents state Thomas then admitted to transporting Song to a separate home in the area. 

FBI SEEKING MILITARY VET SUSPECTED IN ICE AMBUSH AT TEXAS DETENTION FACILITY

A group ambushed corrections and police officers outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, 2025, creating a distraction with fireworks and graffiti before firing upon officers with semiautomatic rifles.  (Mark David Smith/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Upon searching Thomas’ vehicle, officers discovered a loaded 30-round AR-15 magazine and a Walmart receipt for clothing in Song’s size dated July 6, according to federal prosecutors. 

Thomas allegedly told authorities he purchased the clothing for Song. 

The documents also reveal Thomas was a member of two separate Signal Chat groups that also included Song, with Thomas allegedly removing Song from one of the chats the morning after the shooting. 

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Ten individuals have been charged for their roles in the shooting of an Alvarado police officer at the Prairieland Detention Center.   (Justice Department)

Ten individuals have been charged for their roles in the shooting of an Alvarado police officer at the Prairieland Detention Center.   (Justice Department)

The group chats were also allegedly used by Sharp, in which she is accused of discussing the group’s plans to partake in an operation at the Prairieland Detention Center, but divulged that she would not be able to attend due to "family problems" and offered to monitor the chat for the group. 

The court documents also reveal Sharp allegedly used the online chat to help arrange Song’s transport from Thomas to another unnamed individual. 

Authorities have arrested 14 people for their alleged connections to the attack, while Song remains at large. 

Fox News Digital was unable to immediately locate attorneys representing Thomas and Sharp. 

SUSPECT WANTED IN ANTI-ICE TEXAS AMBUSH PREVIOUSLY SUED IN PAST PROTEST INCIDENT

Benjamin Song is wanted for his alleged involvement in the targeted attack against ICE agents in Alvarado, Texas on July 4, 2025.  (FBI)

"We believe he is somewhere in the Dallas-Fort Worth area but have expanded our publicity efforts to neighboring states just in case," the FBI Dallas Field Office told Fox News Digital on Monday. 

Song is accused of firing two AR-15-style rifles at a pair of correctional officers and an Alvarado police officer, according to a criminal complaint. He faces three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. 

The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

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The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to Song’s arrest and conviction, with authorities noting the former U.S. Marine Corps reservist should be considered armed and dangerous. 

"These latest two charges show the walls are closing in on [Song]," Larson said, adding, "he is running out of people to go to." 

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.