Federal immigration agents detained a man in Long Beach, California, on Saturday in an encounter captured on video that shows him pinned against a curb, and local and congressional officials are now calling for an investigation into the injuries he says he suffered.1,2,4
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson identified the man on Monday as Ricardo Gonzalez, describing him as a "Long Beach resident, father, and former City employee." In a formal complaint to the Department of Homeland Security, Richardson wrote that Gonzalez "reportedly was subjected to repeated Taser use, forcibly restrained, and sustained significant injuries" during the encounter. Representative Robert Garcia, a California Democrat whose district includes Long Beach, called the incident "incredibly disturbing" and said the man is a U.S. citizen.1,3
Video posted on social media by StopICE.net shows Gonzalez yelling, "Help me!" while he is pinned on the street against a curb. He repeatedly said his arm was broken and could be heard moaning in pain while being detained. MSNBC described videos showing him handcuffed and bleeding on the ground while several ICE agents kneeled on his back.1,4
The Long Beach Police Department said its 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." Officers found what they described as a "large group disturbance" involving immigration agents, and located Gonzalez handcuffed and bleeding while being held by ICE. The department said officers then brought him to a local fire station, where his handcuffs were removed, and firefighters transported him to a hospital for medical treatment.1
The police department added that its personnel had no role in the enforcement action. "LBPD officers were not involved in any immigration enforcement and LBPD personnel did not make any arrests," it said in a statement.1
A family member has given a different account of how the encounter began. In an online fundraiser, the family member said an unmarked vehicle carrying federal agents struck Gonzalez while he was riding his bicycle. The family member told ABC News on Monday that they did not have any comment at that time.1
The Department of Homeland Security denied that ICE hit an individual on a bike. In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said, "An individual was arrested after he smashed the mirror of a government vehicle," and that it is "investigating potential charges for the damage to a government vehicle." Earlier, a DHS spokesperson said in a statement that ICE officers "followed their training and used the minimum amount of force" while conducting operations in Long Beach.1
Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, pressed back on that account at a press conference on Monday. "There is no reporting that he was doing anything wrong, no public reporting," he said. "Certainly, I have not received any information from our own police department that he was somehow causing some sort of criminal activity." He called for an investigation into the incident.1
Richardson said he submitted his complaint to DHS on Monday, "demanding accountability for the actions of federal immigration agents in Long Beach." In a statement, he called what happened to Gonzalez "outrageous and unacceptable" and asked for an independent investigation. "A federal badge is not a license to brutalize people or disregard their constitutional rights," Richardson said.1
The accounts also differ on whether Gonzalez's arm was broken. The Hill reported that Garcia has said ICE officers broke the arm of a North Long Beach resident and U.S. citizen. ABC News said it is unclear what specific injuries Gonzalez sustained, and Al Jazeera's summary described the claim that his arm was broken as the man's own claim. The reports do not include a medical assessment of his injuries.1,3,5
The reports do not say whether any charges have been filed against Gonzalez, and the DHS statement said only that the agency is investigating potential charges related to the damage to the vehicle. No independent investigation into the encounter has been announced in the reports, though Richardson and Garcia have called for one.1
Richardson's complaint and his call for an independent inquiry leave open how the disputed accounts will be resolved. In his statement, the mayor said, "If you are entrusted with enforcing the law, you must answer to it."1