US citizen injured during California ICE incident, officials say
Long Beach Seeks Investigation After Resident Is Injured During ICE Encounter
Healfromzero.com – Long Beach officials are demanding an independent review after a former city employee was injured during a Saturday confrontation involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and unmarked vehicles.
Ricardo Gonzalez, who told city officials that he is a US citizen, was later found handcuffed and bleeding when Long Beach police responded to emergency calls from him and other members of the public. Mayor Rex Richardson said Gonzalez had called 911 as the situation intensified.
“When the police arrived, we know that he was detained. He was on a curb. He was injured.”
The incident unfolded on a one-way street where surveillance footage showed an unmarked SUV traveling in the wrong direction. An e-bike rider turned into the intersection on the same street as the vehicle approached. The available camera angle does not establish whether the SUV made contact with the e-bike, but it shows the vehicle stopping abruptly before several federal agents emerged.
Two witnesses said they saw the SUV moving the wrong way on the street. A fundraising page created by Gonzalez’s daughter, Leslie Gonzalez, says he was injured while riding his e-bike. Video from the scene shows the e-bike near Gonzalez while a federal agent holds him on the pavement.
Police Respond to Calls for Help
Long Beach police said ICE personnel requested emergency assistance, citing vehicle vandalism and a person needing medical attention. When officers arrived, they encountered a man in ICE custody who was handcuffed and bleeding, along with what police described as a large disturbance involving federal agents.
Witness Sherman Austin recorded video that showed Gonzalez on the ground in handcuffs while an agent in a vest marked “Police ICE” restrained him. Gonzalez can be heard repeatedly calling out for help and asking for a paramedic.
“Help me, my arm is broken” and “call a paramedic.”
Austin said he saw the unmarked SUV strike Gonzalez and said agents then used a Taser, broke his arm and forced him to the ground. He began filming as additional agents arrived and Gonzalez continued to cry out in pain while being restrained.
Police brought Gonzalez to a nearby fire station, where his handcuffs were removed. Fire department personnel then transported him to a hospital for treatment. Richardson declined to discuss Gonzalez’s current medical condition, citing privacy concerns. His daughter said he is receiving care for his injuries and launched the GoFundMe page to help cover medical costs.
“My Dad is one of the hardest working men out there,” Leslie Gonzalez wrote. “Because of him I have a roof over my head and I have all the opportunities around me. Our family is everything because of him.”
Mayor Calls for Federal Agents to Be Removed From Duties
Richardson said he was outraged by the encounter and spoke with Gonzalez and his relatives afterward. The mayor sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security seeking an independent investigation and asking for every federal agent involved to be removed from enforcement work while the inquiry proceeds.
Federal authorities have been contacted for additional information. Gonzalez’s citizenship status is also still being independently verified, though he told city officials he is a US citizen.
Police remained in the area after Gonzalez was taken for medical care in an effort to reduce tensions. After local officers departed, some ICE agents followed them to the fire station parking lot. Officers told the agents to leave and advised them that they could contact the department if they wished to file a vandalism complaint.
The case raises questions about how agencies coordinate during rapidly developing encounters involving unmarked federal vehicles, local emergency responders and bystanders. Long Beach police were not the agency holding Gonzalez in custody, but their response became central to securing medical aid and moving him from the scene.
City Employee and Family Receive Support
Gonzalez worked for the City of Long Beach for about seven years. His most recent position was gas field service representative for Long Beach Utilities. A city spokesperson said he had been lawfully hired and characterized the reports surrounding the incident as deeply concerning.
City officials said they are taking steps to support Gonzalez and his family. Their response reflects the broader impact such incidents can have beyond the person directly injured, particularly when questions remain over the sequence of events, the use of force and the conduct of federal personnel.
The Long Beach episode comes amid an expansive federal immigration enforcement campaign under the Trump administration. Other recent encounters involving ICE agents have also resulted in injuries, including injuries to US citizens.
Earlier this month, a man in Texas was hospitalized with both legs broken after an ICE vehicle struck him near Houston. Days earlier, federal immigration agents in New York City shot and injured a driver while his 5-year-old child was present.
For Long Beach residents, the pending investigation will be significant in determining what happened in the moments before Gonzalez was detained, whether the unmarked SUV struck him, and how medical and law-enforcement responses unfolded. City leaders are seeking a review that addresses those questions while Gonzalez continues his recovery.
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