CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - As Customs and Border Patrol operations continue across Charlotte, residents are sharing what they’re seeing on social media.Shea Watts, who has lived in Plaza Midwood for eight years, was stunned to hear and see the commotion happening on his street late Monday morning.He pulled out his phone and started filming as Border Patrol agents could be seen surrounding an SUV and yelling at the woman inside to open her window.When she did not comply, they smashed it and forced her and the woman in the passenger seat out of the car.“And that’s when I came outside,” Watts said.Watts watched as they put both women’s hands behind their backs.“As someone who cares and believes in taking care of our neighbors, regardless of who they are or documented, undocumented, whatever, I felt like I needed to just come outside and document, talk to them and try to be a calming presence,” Watts said.Watts says he’s lived in Charlotte for eight years and serves as a church chaplain.In the video, he can be heard asking agents what they are charging the women with.“He says I was driving erratically because they were chasing me down the road,” one of the women responded.Watts says he was told the women were honking their horn along Central Avenue to alert people that border patrol agents were in the area.After more questions, one of the agents eventually told him they’d be cited with impeding in their operations.Criminal defense attorney Tim Emry weighed in on what constitutes impeding.“You have to do something actively to obstruct, impede, delay, or somehow preempt the officers from doing their duties,” Emry said.Emry if they did not break the law, agents should not have smashed the window.“If they hadn’t done anything unlawful, they have no duty to open the car,” he said.While he did not see what exactly happened leading up to their arrival on his street, Watts says he felt the action taken was excessive.“I didn’t want to confront or make things worse,” he said. “But also, this is not okay. This is not this is not who we should be as a nation.”The women were taken to the FBI field office where they were held for several hours, but they have not been charged in federal court.WBTV contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection for comment. In a statement, a spokesperson said:“On November 17, U.S. Border Patrol was conducting immigration enforcement operations in Charlotte, North Carolina, when two U.S. citizens used their vehicle to impede agents. Border Patrol gave multiple warnings to stop which they ignored. Agents initiated a traffic stop and after the drivers refused to exit their car, the subjects were extracted and arrested. This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of violence and obstruction. Over the past two months, we’ve seen an increase in assaults and a deliberate targeting of federal law enforcement during operations.”The spokesperson did not answer WBTV’s questions regarding why the women are not charged in federal court.More Border Patrol operation coverageCopyright 2025 WBTV. All rights reserved.