A man who attacked the Tacoma Immigration Center was a repeat aggressor: the authorities

(Reuters) – Authorities in Tacoma, Washington State, have named a man who was killed after attacking an immigration detention center. The court records showed that he had already been arrested for assaulting a police officer during a protest outside the same center.

Police said 69-year-old Willem Van Spronsen was armed with a rifle and incendiary devices when he attacked the northwest detention center before Saturday's dawn. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's office said he had died from multiple gunshot wounds.

According to the authorities, Van Spronsen reportedly set fire to a vehicle in the parking lot and was attempting to set a propane tank on fire when he was confronted with four police officers who opened fire on him. None of the officers were injured.

The Tacoma Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment on Sunday.

Van Spronsen was arrested last year for assaulting a police officer during a protest outside the same detention center, according to court reports. He pleaded guilty to charges of obstructing the police and was released in October.

Saturday's attack on the facility took place several hours after a peaceful rally protesting the detention of immigrants outside the facility, authorities said.

The center is operated by GEO Group Inc, a private company, for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The incident in Tacoma occurred as a wave of arrests of immigrants threatened with eviction across the country was expected to begin during the week-end -end.

The operation is expected to target hundreds of families in 10 cities that have recently been evicted by an immigration court but have not yet left the country.

A senior ICE official told the Washington Post that the attack in Tacoma could have resulted in the mass murder of staff members and detainees housed in the facility.

"These are the kinds of incidents that keep you awake at night," said Shawn Fallah, head of the ICE's Office of Professional Liability, in a statement.