The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed Thursday that the individual allegedly shown in a video posted to social media by U.S. Representative Andy Ogles, committing the May 18 hit-and-run against a pedestrian in Nashville, is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela.
A Thursday press release by DHS announced Tony Gebian Lopez Infante, the suspect who remains at large after being accused of striking 21-year-old Zach Carach with his vehicle, “is an illegal alien from Venezuela.”
Lopez Infante first entered the United States on August 1, 2023, and was subsequently released into the country by Biden-era immigration officials on August 14, pending proceedings for his deportation. His final deportation order was issued by an immigration judge in September 2024.
“An illegal alien who should never have been in the U.S. allegedly struck a young man who was celebrating his 21st birthday in a hit-and-run crash and is still at large,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “The Biden Administration released this illegal alien into our country in 2023.”
Declaring the crime preventable, McLaughlin called it “the direct result of open border policies that prioritized illegal aliens over the safety of American citizens” under the Biden administration.
“Secretary Noem is praying for Zachary Carach’s quick recovery,” said McLaughlin.
Ogles previously tied the crime to Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, claiming the mayor was prioritizing illegal immigrants over American citizens in response to the mayor’s actions in response to a joint U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) operation that resulted in nearly 200 arrests.
“Zach remains hospitalized, yet Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell appears more focused on obstructing federal immigration enforcement than protecting the people of this city,” wrote Ogles in a post to X.
🚨 BREAKING: My office has obtained disturbing footage tied to an illegal alien reportedly on the run in Nashville.
While celebrating his 21st birthday, Zach Carach was allegedly struck by a vehicle driven by Tony Lopez — who then fled the scene. Lopez is an illegal alien with… pic.twitter.com/6Iyea26UVF
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) June 3, 2025
He added, “Over the past two weeks, his administration has been accused of leaking DHS agent identities, directing questionable ‘charity’ funds to illegal aliens, and publicly attacking law enforcement officials.”
O’Connell and Metro Nashville were revealed to have published the names of several federal immigration officials as the apparent result of an executive order, amended by O’Connell in response to the enforcement operation, which mandates Metro employees report all contacts with such officials to O’Connell and the Office of New Americans.
The mayor also announced the establishment of a new “Belonging Fund,” created as a partnership between Metro Nashville and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT).
His office stated that the fund would be seeded by nonprofits that had previously been awarded millions in federal stimulus money by Metro Nashville, and CFMT recently announced that two of these nonprofits will be responsible for administering the raised funds.
Ogles recently announced the start of a congressional probe to investigate whether any of these actions could constitute a violation of federal laws. O’Connell said he will respond to the probe.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Zach Carach” by Andy Ogles.
