Federal agent fires weapon during immigration stop in Southern
California, officials say
[August 19, 2025]
By JAIMIE DING
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal agent fired at a moving vehicle in Southern
California after the driver refused to roll down his window during an
immigration stop and sped off, the Department of Homeland Security said.
A DHS statement said the driver struck two U.S. Customs and Border
Patrol agents as he drove away Saturday, prompting one agent to fire his
weapon “in self-defense.” No one was hit by the bullets.
The department provided no other details about how or where the vehicle
struck the agents and whether they were injured.
DHS said the agents were conducting a “targeted enforcement operation”
but provided no details about why they were targeting the unidentified
man. The incident occurred just before 9 a.m. in San Bernardino County,
east of Los Angeles.
Javier Hernandez, executive director of the Inland Coalition for
Immigrant Justice, spoke to the man’s family and provided their account
of the incident, a portion of which was captured on video by the
driver's son and son-in-law who were in the vehicle.
Hernandez did not disclose the 43-year-old driver's name, and DHS did
not identify him. Hernandez said the man is from Mexico, has been in the
U.S. for 23 years and does not have legal status. The 18-year-old son
and 23-year-old son-in-law are U.S. citizens, Hernandez said.
On the videos, the uniformed officers are wearing masks and have
“police” written on vests. At least one is wearing a hat labeled CBP,
for Customs and Border Protection. They approach the vehicle and tell
the driver to roll down his window. The driver refuses and one of the
others in the vehicle says, “What do you want?"
The agents then smash windows on both sides. The driver immediately
drove away, and three shots can be heard in the video. The video doesn't
show either officer being struck by the vehicle.
The driver called the San Bernardino Police Department and reported that
masked men had pulled him over, broke his car window and shot at him,
the police department said in a statement.
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Federal agents stage outside a Home Depot during an operation
Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Police officers went to the family's home and spoke with the driver.
They left without taking him into custody because California law
prohibits local police agencies from assisting federal officials
with immigration enforcement, the department said.
Federal agents later arrived at the man’s home, but the family did
not allow them to enter because they didn’t have a warrant,
Hernandez said. DHS did not respond to questions about whether they
had a warrant and were still seeking the man's arrest.
A crowd gathered outside the family’s home in response to the
presence of federal agents. The San Bernardino police returned to
assist with crowd control, the department said.
The man and his family declined an interview request from The
Associated Press.
DHS criticized the police department for not arresting the man.
“This reckless decision came despite the subject’s outright refusal
to comply and his wounding of two federal officers,” DHS said in a
statement. “It is yet another tragic example of California’s
pro-sanctuary policies that shield criminals instead of protecting
communities.”
There is no clear definition of sanctuary jurisdictions, but the
term is generally applied to state and local governments that limit
cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration has
spread across Southern California, where local officials say federal
actions are spreading fear in immigrant communities. Raids in the
Los Angeles region spurred protests and the deployment of the
National Guard and Marines in the city for nearly two months.
After an appeals court upheld a temporary order by a district court
judge banning indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests, the
administration has asked the Supreme Court to lift the restrictions
in an emergency petition.
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