ICE Agents Shoot Man in California Traffic Stop

A man was shot multiple times by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a traffic stop in central California, prompting disputes over the sequence of events and his alleged criminal background. The incident occurred Tuesday morning near Interstate 5 in Patterson, about 90 miles south of Sacramento, when agents approached Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, a 36-year-old undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, as he drove to his job rehabilitating buildings.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, agents conducted a targeted enforcement stop on Mendoza Hernandez, whom they identified as a member of the 18th Street gang wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection with a murder. Officials stated that he then weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an agent, prompting officers to fire defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and the public. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons described the action as following training protocols amid rising violence against federal agents.

Mendoza Hernandez's attorney, Patrick Kolasinski, disputed the account after meeting with his client at the hospital. He said Mendoza Hernandez believed the stop...