ICE Agents Shoot California Man on His Way to Work as Lawyer Denies 'Gang Member' Claims

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials shot a man at a traffic stop in Central California on Tuesday, April 7, reports CNN.

According to the news outlet, the shooting took place near Interstate 5 in Patterson, approximately 90 miles south of Sacramento. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified the person as Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez.

The department stated that the person shot is an undocumented immigrant and an "18th Street Gang member wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection to a murder."

DHS issued a statement in which acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said that the officers fired defensive shots as the person they stopped allegedly tried to run an agent over. The department also said that its agents were following training protocol.

"As officers approached the car, the wanted gang member weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over. Following their training, our officers fired defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents and the public," the DHS statement read.

To this, the victim's attorney Patrick Kolasinski responded, saying, "If that's the case, then ICE's own training puts their officers in danger, puts the community in danger, and the people they're trying to detain in danger."

CNN reviewed two dashcam videos that reportedly show a car crossing over the highway lane divider after ICE agents surrounded it. According to the news outlet, in the footage, one agent can be seen quickly running out of the car's path.

Since the videos have no audio, it remains unclear when exactly the agents opened fire at the vehicle.

Mendoza Hernandez, 36, is the father of a toddler and is engaged to a U.S. citizen, his attorney said. He was reportedly shot on his way to work.

Kolasinski pushed back against DHS's characterization of his client as a "gang member" wanted in El Salvador. According to the media outlet, Kolasinski said in a news conference that "from everything we can find, he was not a gang member."

"Initially, when I was asked, I said we thought it may have been a mistaken identity," Kolasinski said at the news conference. "This morning, we received a little bit of information from El Salvador that he had had a criminal encounter in El Salvador, where he had been accused of murder, and he was acquitted," he added.

Therefore, the attorney continued, "They cannot possibly have a warrant out for his arrest in El Salvador. That is a complete misstatement."

Kolasinski further added that an attorney will be investigating the claims made about his client that he is wanted in El Salvador for questioning and "to verify finally, and clearly that there is no such order."

Meanwhile, Mendoza Hernandez's fiancée, Cindy, got an opportunity to speak to him for the first time on the evening of Wednesday, April 8, Kolasinski said. He also said that the victim was in stable condition and going in for surgery at the time of the call.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it is in charge of the investigation. The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office told CNN that it is helping with the case and confirmed that no local police were involved in the incident.

Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom called on federal authorities to work closely with state and local agencies while looking into the case.

"As is established practice, we expect our federal law enforcement partners to appropriately collaborate with state and local law enforcement as this matter is investigated," Newsom's office wrote on X.