INGHAM COUNTY, Mich. — A Kent County Sheriff's Deputy was fired from the force after he was charged with assault and battery in an off-duty assault near Lansing.
Marcelo Aranda, of Allendale, is charged in connection with an incident that happened on Aug. 19 at the Okemos Rest Area in Ingham County.
Former Deputy Aranda is no longer employed by the sheriff's office.
35-year-old Tyler Lueken is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in 2005. He tells 13 ON YOUR SIDE that he was involved in a road rage incident on I-96 east of Lansing and pulled off at a rest area to get away from the other car.
That’s when Lueken says the other driver approached his car yelling and then pulled him out of his car and began punching him on the ground.
“As soon as we were off the road for a few moments, next thing I know I know he is in the window hitting me,” Lueken tells 13 ON YOUR SIDE. “I remember right before I passed out in the driver’s seat, he was bringing me out. The next thing I remember I was on the ground and I had blood everywhere.”
Tyler Lueken, 35, was injured after an alleged assault by an off-duty Kent Co. deputy
The Kent County Sheriff's Office shared this statement in regards to the former deputy:
The KCSO is aware of a criminal incident involving Marcelo Aranda in Ingham County stemming from an off-duty incident that occurred three weeks ago. Upon notification, we started an internal investigation culminating in Marcelo Aranda’s termination from employment at KCSO. Due to the ongoing nature of the criminal case in Ingham County, the KCSO is unable to make further comments about the incident.
13 ON YOUR SIDE tried to get a comment from Aranda at his home in Allendale but nobody was home.
He is due back in court on Sept. 15 for a hearing.
Lueken also told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that he is being charged with a DUI in the incident but says he only had one beer before driving.
A video of the alleged assault can be found below. The video is contains strong language, and viewer discretion is advised.
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