Los Angeles
A Long Beach, Calif., resident was injured Saturday in an incident involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the federal government. and local officials.
Ricardo Gonzalez, a former Long Beach city employee, was allegedly found by Long Beach police after he and other community members called 911 after being concerned about the unmarked vehicles, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson told CNN on Sunday.
ICE personnel requested emergency assistance from the Long Beach Police Department in response to a vandalized vehicle and a person in need of medical assistance, Long Beach Police said in a statement Saturday.
When local officers arrived, they found a man handcuffed and bleeding while in ICE custody, police said, adding that a “large group disturbance” involving the officers was taking place.
“(Gonzalez) called 911 when he saw the situation getting worse, and so he called and asked for help,” Richardson said. “When the police arrived, we know he was arrested. He was on a sidewalk. He was injured.”
It is not yet clear what led to these circumstances or what happened before Gonzalez’s arrest.
A GoFundMe set up by Gonzalez’s daughter, Leslie Gonzalez, said he was struck by an unmarked vehicle believed to be driven by federal agents while he was riding an electric bike.
CNN has contacted the Department of Homeland Security, the City of Long Beach and the Long Beach Police Department for more information.
Videos shared by a witness showed Gonzalez handcuffed and lying on the ground while being restrained by an officer wearing a “Police ICE” vest. In one video, the man can be heard repeatedly shouting: “Help me, my arm is broken” and “call a paramedic.”
Richardson, who said he was “outraged” by the incident, spoke with Gonzalez, who told him he was a U.S. citizen, and his family after the incident. CNN is working to verify Gonzalez’s citizenship status.
American citizens have been caught up in the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown, which has resulted in highly visible enforcement operations and aggressive tactics that have sparked nationwide protests, legal battles and political backlash.
Long Beach police officers took Gonzalez to a nearby fire station, where his handcuffs were removed, police said in the release. Firefighters then transported him to the hospital for medical treatment. Richardson declined to comment on Gonzalez’s current condition, citing his privacy.
During this time, officers remained on scene to try to defuse the situation, the police statement said. When Long Beach police left the scene, some ICE agents followed the officers to the station parking lot, where the federal agents were asked to leave and told they could contact the department to file a vandalism report.
U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, Democrat of California, said in an article on
The GoFundMe was set up to pay his medical bills, the website says. Leslie Gonzalez said her father is currently receiving treatment for his injuries.
“My dad is one of the hardest working men,” she wrote on GoFundMe. “Thanks to him, I have a roof over my head and I have every opportunity around me. Our family is all because of him.”
Richardson said he has tried to contact ICE through its complaint hotline, but has yet to speak with anyone from the agency.
What would have been a safe weekend in North Long Beach “devolved into a violent incident with no transparency or accountability, and with many more questions than answers,” Richardson told CNN.
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