Chicago, Illinois - An off-duty US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who reportedly assaulted an immigrants' rights activist in a Chicago suburb has been charged with battery.

Robert Held (68) was aggressively thrown to the ground while filming officer Adam Saracco as he stopped for gas after leaving an ICE facility on December 27.

"He increased his pace, and he came upon me, and he threw me to the ground, and he tried to take my phone," Held described. "What came out of my mouth was 'Calm down, you need to deescalate.'"

Having witnessed the incident, a passerby intervened by blasting the horn of her car, and police were called to the scene.

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"People were yelling, so people had stopped and were trying to intervene," Held told Status Coup News. "It was all a little bit of a blur, but the best news is that I was uninjured."

Saracco has since been charged with a misdemeanor count of battery, according to local police, who said that prosecutors "reviewed the case and declined to file felony charges."

"The hard work was all done by the police and the state's attorney's office, so the ball's in their court," Held said. "I'm glad that justice will be done."

In a statement to The Hill following news of the charges, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin called Held a "known ICE agitator" and claimed he had "targeted and aggressively harassed" Saracco.

"While off duty and driving home in his personal vehicle, the officer was stalked by this individual to a local gas station," the statement read.

"The officer, who was alone and without protective equipment, acted to protect himself when faced with this threatening behavior."