At least one person was injured following an altercation between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and community members in Santa Barbara, police said Wednesday.
Officers with the Santa Barbara Police Department were called to the area of Salinas Street and Carpinteria Street at around 7:17 a.m. after receiving a call about a large fight.
When officers arrived, they saw a large group, made up of ICE agents and community members, in a tense situation, the police department said.
“The Santa Barbara Police Department had no prior knowledge that the ICE agents would be at that location or anywhere in the City of Santa Barbara today,” police said.
After officers tried to de-escalated the altercation, ICE agents eventually left the area.
One person was pepper-sprayed before officers arrived and had to receive medical assistance by first responders from the Santa Barbara Fire Department, police said.
Another person at the scene told officers that he or she was pushed by an ICE agent.
Officers took statements from community members about what had happened before Santa Barbara Police Department personnel arrived.
“(The) department’s role at the scene was limited to medical aid coordination, information gathering and traffic management,” the police department clarified.
No one was arrested by Santa Barbara police. It was not immediately clear if ICE agents detained anyone during the ordeal.
NBC Los Angeles reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to inquire about the incident.