California man shot by ICE says officials falsely labeled him a gang member
Key Takeaways
- Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, 36, was shot multiple times by ICE agents during a traffic stop in Patterson, California; his lawyer says he was hit by more than six bullets and is in intensive care.
- ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) allegedly labeled him an 18th Street gang member and said he was wanted in El Salvador; ICE has not produced public evidence for those claims.
- Dashcam footage is grainy and silent; it shows agents outside the vehicle and Hernandez driving away after officers pointed guns, but it is unclear when shots were fired.
- The case heightens scrutiny of ICE use-of-force incidents and raises immediate immigration and civil-legal questions for Hernandez and others accused of gang ties.
The shooting and competing accounts
Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, 36, was pulled over on Tuesday in Patterson, a rural town in California’s Central Valley, and was shot by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). His attorney, Patrick Kolasinski, told reporters Hernandez was struck more than six times — including a wound to the face — and has undergone three surgeries and remains in the intensive care unit. Kolasinski said Hernandez, who has a two-year-old daughter and was heading to a job, insists he was not a gang member and that officers fired on him before he attempted to drive away. It has been reported that dashcam footage, which is grainy and without audio, shows three ICE agents outside the vehicle and Hernandez reversing then driving over a median, but the video does not clearly establish when shots were fired.
ICE allegations and evidentiary gaps
ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, said the vehicle was “weaponized” and alleged Hernandez was a member of the 18th Street Gang and “wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection to a murder.” The 18th Street Gang is broadly associated with Los Angeles-area street gangs. Those claims remain unverified publicly; ICE has not released supporting evidence and the attorney says 2019 court records from El Salvador indicate Hernandez was once accused but ultimately acquitted. Allegations of gang membership can carry serious immigration consequences — they can prompt enforcement priorities, inform prosecutorial discretion, and complicate defenses like asylum or relief from removal — but membership claims alone are not automatic grounds for criminal conviction or deportation without further proof.
Oversight, human impact and what this means now
Officer-involved shootings by federal immigration agents routinely trigger internal and external review: ICE and the Department of Homeland Security may open investigations, the DHS Office of Inspector General often reviews use-of-force incidents, and local prosecutors can also examine potential criminal liability. For immigrants and communities, the case underscores familiar fears — sudden escalation at routine stops, persistent labeling as gang-affiliated, and the risk that unverified claims become public and shape enforcement. For anyone facing a similar stop or allegation, immigration attorneys and civil-rights lawyers are critical: preserve evidence, seek medical and legal counsel immediately, and ask about consular notification if you are a foreign national. This incident is likely to prompt further document releases, inquiries by oversight bodies, and potential civil litigation; for now, it remains a contested factual and legal dispute with serious human consequences.
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