California officials are calling for an investigation after they say a man was injured while being detained by federal immigration agents, who were captured on video pinning him down against a curb as he yelled for help during the encounter in Long Beach over the weekend.
California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, whose district includes Long Beach, called the incident “incredibly disturbing” and said the man is a U.S. citizen.
In a formal complaint to the Department of Homeland Security, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said the man “reportedly was subjected to repeated Taser use, forcibly restrained, and sustained significant injuries” during Saturday’s encounter.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement that ICE officers “followed their training and used the minimum amount of force” while conducting operations in Long Beach.
Long Beach police officers who responded to the scene Saturday saw a “large group disturbance” involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and located the man handcuffed and bleeding while being detained by ICE, the Long Beach Police Department said in a statement.
The mayor identified the man in a statement on Monday as Ricardo Gonzalez, referring to him as a “Long Beach resident, father, and former City employee.”
In a video posted on social media by StopICE.net, Gonzalez can be heard yelling, “Help me!” while being pinned on the street against a curb. He repeatedly said his arm was broken and could be heard moaning in pain while being detained.
Officers brought him to a local fire station, where they removed his handcuffs, and then firefighters transported him to a local hospital for medical treatment, according to the police department.
It is unclear what specific injuries Gonzalez sustained. A family member told ABC News on Monday that they do not have any comment at this time.
In an online fundraiser, the family member said an unmarked vehicle carrying federal agents struck Gonzalez while he was riding his bicycle. In response to a news report on Gonzalez’s injuries that cited the family’s account, DHS denied that ICE hit an individual on a bike.
“An individual was arrested after he smashed the mirror of a government vehicle,” DHS said in the statement Tuesday, adding that they are “investigating potential charges for the damage to a government vehicle.”
According to Richardson’s complaint to DHS, Gonzalez contacted the Long Beach Police Department “seeking assistance during a confrontation with federal immigration agents.”
Long Beach police said their officers responded after ICE personnel requested emergency assistance from local authorities “due to vehicle vandalism taking place and a subject in need of medical aid.”
“LBPD officers were not involved in any immigration enforcement and LBPD personnel did not make any arrests,” the police department said.
Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, called for an investigation into the incident.
“There is no reporting that he was doing anything wrong, no public reporting,” he said during a press conference on Monday. “Certainly, I have not received any information from our own police department that he was somehow causing some sort of criminal activity.”
The Long Beach mayor said he submitted a formal complaint to DHS on Monday “demanding accountability for the actions of federal immigration agents in Long Beach.”
“What happened to Ricardo is outrageous and unacceptable,” Richardson said in a statement while calling for an independent investigation into the incident. “Long Beach will not stay silent when our neighbors are harmed. A federal badge is not a license to brutalize people or disregard their constitutional rights. If you are entrusted with enforcing the law, you must answer to it.”
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