ICE detention of Long Beach man sparks probe after video shows injury
California officials demand investigation after Ricardo Gonzalez was injured during an ICE arrest in Long Beach. Video footage shows agents pinning the man against a curb as he calls for help.
Long Beach mayor files DHS complaint over ICE detention caught on video
California officials are calling for an independent investigation after a man was injured during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Long Beach over the weekend, cbs2iowa.com reports.
Video shared by StopICE.net shows agents pinning a man against a curb as he repeatedly shouts that his arm is broken and calls for help. Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson identified the man as Ricardo Gonzalez, describing him as a "Long Beach resident, father, and former City employee."
Richardson filed a formal complaint with the Department of Homeland Security, demanding accountability for the agents' conduct. The complaint alleges Gonzalez was repeatedly tased, forcibly restrained, and seriously injured during Saturday's incident. Richardson called on DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to remove the agents involved from field duties pending an independent review.
"Long Beach will not stay silent when our neighbours are harmed," Richardson wrote on Facebook. "A federal badge is not a licence to brutalise people or disregard their constitutional rights. If you are entrusted with enforcing the law, you must answer to it."
Long Beach Police Department officers who responded to the scene reported finding "a large group disturbance" involving ICE agents, along with a handcuffed man who was bleeding. Officers took him to a nearby fire station, removed his handcuffs, and transported him to hospital. The department said its officers played no role in immigration enforcement and made no arrests.
LBPD said ICE had called for emergency assistance, citing vehicle vandalism and a person in need of medical aid.
ICE described the incident as a targeted operation to arrest what it called an "at-large criminal illegal alien." The agency said demonstrators attempted to impede the operation, threaten officers, and damage government vehicles despite being issued lawful commands. ICE said its officers followed their training and used the minimum force necessary.
Federal agents also denied that any of their officers struck a cyclist. According to ICE, the man was arrested after smashing the mirror of a government vehicle, and the agency noted that resisting arrest can result in injury. ICE said he was transferred to local police custody and that it is investigating potential charges related to the vehicle damage.
The agency cited a rise in assaults, vehicle attacks, and death threats against law enforcement, stating that violence and efforts to obstruct officers must stop.
California Democratic Representative Robert Garcia said at a news conference that "the immigration actions, the terror that happened in North Long Beach over the weekend, is not welcome in our city or our community."
Source: The Sun