A TikTok creator and a US marshal were both injured by gunfire during an immigration enforcement operation in Los Angeles on Tuesday, officials said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Carlitos Ricardo Parias, who they said was in the US illegally, allegedly rammed law enforcement vehicles with his car while trying to flee an immigration arrest.
Officers fired shots and struck Mr Parias’ elbow, and a US marshal was hit in the hand by a ricochet bullet, the DHS said. Both were hospitalised with non-life threatening injuries.
Mr Parias, who routinely documents immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area on social media, was charged with assault on a federal officer.
Mr Parias, a 44-year-old Mexican national, has documented Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in south Los Angeles for months. He had previously been recognised by a city councilman for his commitment to keeping the community “informed, empowered and protected”.
He was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, but his hearing has been postponed to an undecided date.
Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokeswoman, said the incident showed “the consequences of conduct and rhetoric by sanctuary politicians and activists who urge illegal aliens to resist arrest”.
She claimed law enforcement officers are facing a more than 1000% increase in threats against them.
In a statement, the US Attorney’s Office said Mr Parias was the subject of an administrative immigration arrest warrant and had avoided capture before.
Agents saw Mr Parias leave home in a grey Toyota Camry and drive down a street. Law enforcement officers used their vehicles to box in his car, hoping to prevent him from escaping.
The US Attorney’s Office said that federal agents then approached the Camry and gave Mr Parias orders to exit the car and submit to arrest.
Mr Parias “ignored those commands and drove the Camry both forward and back, hitting two of the law enforcement vehicles”.
He spun the Camry’s tires, which spewed smoke and debris in to the air that struck some of the agents, and led the car to fishtail. Agents, worried for their safety, broke the driver’s side window to subdue Mr Parias, the statement said.
“A vehicle is a deadly weapon,” acting US Attorney Bill Essayli said.
LA City Councilmen Curren Price, whose office honoured Mr Parias for his community service, said he was deeply saddened by the incident and stood in solidarity with Mr Parias and his family.
“Richard is a pillar of our community, a fearless citizen journalist whose authentic storytelling has consistently uplifted the unheard voices of South Central Los Angeles,” Price wrote on social media.
ICE raids have increased as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigration, with vows to conduct record-level deportations of migrants in the country illegally.
Southern California is home to an estimated 1.4 million undocumented immigrants, many of whom have been forced into hiding.
Immigration raids in Los Angeles prompted backlash over the summer and led to protests. US President Donald Trump has since deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles and other US cities to crack down on such protests.
By BBC News
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
