California police investigate ICE vehicle collision with man filming operation
Police in Woodland, California, are investigating after a vehicle operated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel struck a man filming the operation, the latest in a series of 2026 incidents that have fueled protests, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
According to the Woodland Police Department, the collision occurred at around 9:38 a.m. on October 20 near Locust and Clover streets. The man was examined by medics at the scene and taken to a hospital, with police describing his injuries as minor.
He was identified as Antonio Moreida, a Woodland Community College student and a volunteer with the advocacy group NorCal Resist. Speaking at a city council meeting, Moreida said he had been recording agents and reading out a license plate when the SUV drove directly into him.
DHS rejected that account, saying ICE did not hit a pedestrian. A spokesperson said the individual jumped onto the vehicle’s hood, the driver braked, and the person slid off. The department added that ICE immediately contacted emergency services and local police.
Woodland police said they have reviewed footage from several angles, including the interaction leading up to the collision, and that the actions of both parties are under review. The findings will be sent to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office. Police noted that the department did not take part in the federal operation and, under California law, does not engage in civil immigration enforcement. U.S. Representative Mike Thompson, who represents the area, said local law enforcement had confirmed ICE was operating the vehicle and called for accountability, saying no one is above the law.
Three days earlier, Long Beach police found a man handcuffed and bleeding in ICE custody after agents requested help over vehicle vandalism and a person needing medical aid. The man was identified as Ricardo Gonzalez, a former city employee. U.S. Representative Robert Garcia said agents broke the arm of the resident, a U.S. citizen. Mayor Rex Richardson said ICE does not belong in the city and that the activity undermines public trust. Neither ICE nor DHS publicly commented on the incident.
In April, ICE agents shot and wounded Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez during a traffic stop in Patterson, California. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said the man was wanted in El Salvador in connection with a murder and had tried to run over an officer. His attorney said ICE may have acted on bad information and that videos showed his client trying to avoid officers.
In March, video of plainclothes ICE officers detaining a woman at San Francisco International Airport as her young daughter watched drew outrage from local officials. Residents later protested outside San Francisco police headquarters over officers’ presence at the scene.
The most serious cases came in Minneapolis in January. An immigration officer shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, in her car on January 7. On January 24, a Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital. DHS said Pretti approached agents with a pistol and violently resisted being disarmed.
The killings sparked sustained protests and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement, and the Justice Department later opened an investigation into Pretti’s death.
Earlier,Qazinform News Agency reported on the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent last week and theongoing protests against ICE activity in the state.