US citizen injured during California ICE incident, officials say

LOS ANGELES — A former Long Beach city employee was injured during an incident involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Saturday, officials said, with an unmarked SUV driving the wrong way down a one-way street before the scene escalated, according to surveillance footage and witnesses.

Ricardo Gonzalez, who told officials he is a U.S. citizen, was found by Long Beach police after he and other community members called 911 to report concerns about unmarked vehicles, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson told CNN on Sunday.

Surveillance video obtained by KTLA shows an unmarked SUV driving the wrong way down a one-way street as a man on an e-bike makes a turn into the intersection down the same street.

The camera angle does not show whether the e-bike and SUV collide, but the footage shows the SUV coming to a quick stop and several agents exiting the car. Two other witnesses also told CNN they saw the SUV driving the wrong way.

A verified *GoFundMe created by Gonzalez's daughter, Leslie Gonzalez, said he was injured while riding his e-bike, and video from the incident shows the e-bike next to Gonzalez as he is held down by a federal agent on the street.

ICE personnel had requested emergency assistance from the Long Beach Police Department in response to vehicle vandalism and a person in need of medical aid, Long Beach police said in a statement Saturday.

When local officers arrived, they found a man handcuffed and bleeding while being detained by ICE, police said, adding a "large group disturbance" involving the agents was taking place.

"(Gonzalez) called 911 when he saw a circumstance escalating, and so he called and asked for assistance," Richardson said. "When the police arrived, we know that he was detained. He was on a curb. He was injured."

In a letter sent to DHS, the mayor called for an independent investigation into the incident and is asking that all federal agents involved be removed from their enforcement duties pending the investigation.

CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for more information.

Videos shared by a witness, Sherman Austin, showed Gonzalez handcuffed and lying on the ground while being held down by an agent wearing a "Police ICE" vest. In one video, the man can be heard yelling repeatedly, "Help me, my arm is broken" and "call a paramedic."

Austin told CNN that he saw Gonzalez being struck by the unmarked vehicle and afterwards federal agents stepped out, "tasered him, broke his arm and pinned him to the ground." He began recording the video as more agents arrived and restrained Gonzalez as he screamed in pain and pleaded for help.

Long Beach police officers took Gonzalez to a nearby fire station, where his handcuffs were removed, police said. Fire department personnel then took him to a hospital for medical attention. Richardson declined to comment on Gonzalez's current condition, citing his privacy.

Meanwhile, officers remained at the scene in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, police said. When Long Beach police left the scene, some ICE agents followed officers to the station's parking lot, where the federal agents were asked to leave and told they could contact the department to file a vandalism report.

Incident leaves more questions than answers, mayor says

Gonzalez is receiving treatment for his injuries, his daughter said. She created the *GoFundMe to pay his medical bills.

"My Dad is one of the hardest working men out there," she wrote on the GoFundMe. "Because of him I have a roof over my head and I have all the opportunities around me. Our family is everything because of him."

Gonzalez worked for the city of Long Beach for approximately seven years, most recently as a gas field service representative for Long Beach Utilities, a city spokesperson told CNN.

The city said Gonzalez was lawfully hired, and described reports of the incident as "deeply concerning," adding that it is taking steps to support his family.

Richardson, who said he was "outraged" over the incident, spoke with Gonzalez, who told him he is a U.S. citizen, and his family following the incident. CNN is working to verify Gonzalez's citizenship status.

The incident is among several involving ICE agents that have left people injured, including U.S. citizens, against the backdrop of the Trump administration's sweeping immigration crackdown.

Earlier this month, a man in Texas was hospitalized with both of his legs broken after he was struck by an ICE vehicle near Houston. Days before, federal immigration agents in New York City shot and injured a driver while his 5-year-old child was in the back seat during a targeted enforcement operation.

In September, an ICE agent shot a Venezuelan man in the back in Austin, Texas, while he was delivering orders for DoorDash.

U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, said in a post on X: "ICE agents brutally attacked and broke the arm of a North Long Beach resident and U.S. citizen," calling the videos "horrific."

Long Beach's mayor said he attempted to contact ICE through its complaint hotline, but has yet to speak with someone at the agency as of Monday afternoon.

What would have been a safe weekend in North Long Beach "turned into a violent incident with no transparency or accountability, and a lot more questions than answers," Richardson told CNN.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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