ICE agent Christian Castro, 52, pleaded not guity to making false statements to the FBI after he allegedly shot an unarmed man in Minneapolis.

Tens of thousands of people march through downtown Minneapolis in January as they protest the federal government's immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis. File Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI UPI

Sept. 18 (UPI) -- An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges of lying to authorities about the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis.

Christian Castro, 52, was indicted earlier this month on six counts of making false statements to the FBI after he allegedly shot an unarmed man during a chase on Jan. 14.

Castro was one of the thousands of ICE agents in Minneapolis as part of Operation Metro Surge when he mistakenly followed Alfredo Aljorna while seeking a different man.

He allegedly fired at Aljorna and his roommate, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, through their home's door. Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg.

Department of Homeland Security officials at first said Castro fired a "defensive shot" after the men attacked him with a snow shovel and a broom. It was later determined the men, who are in the United States legally on temporary protected status, had dropped the items and run away.

He faces separate state charges of assault and falsely reporting a crime over the incident.

On Thursday, Hennepin County District Judge Paul Scoggin set bail at $200,000 on the state charges, and required Castro to wear an ankle monitor and not possess firearms.

Castro had been at the center of a legal fight between Minnesota and Texas, which failed to approve an extradition request while Castro was held there in jail for 90 days.

"Mr. Castro voluntarily went to Minneapolis to surrender himself, both in state court and in federal court, and he's been released on bond, and we look forward to litigating these matters and to presenting our case in court and exonerating him," defense attorney Michael Wynn told The Hill.

Castro's indictment marks the first time the Justice Department charges an officer for conduct that happened on duty during President Donald Trump's second administration.

During Operation Metro Surge in January, agents arrested thousands of people in the Twin Cities and fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.