LOS ANGELES, CA — On Tuesday, an influencer known for chronicling law enforcement activity and a federal agent were shot when authorities opened fire during an immigration enforcement stop in Los Angeles.

The man — 44-year-old Carlitos Ricardo Parias — is a prominent TikTok creator who posts Spanish-language videos on the platform, including content documenting activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Parias is suspected of being in the United States without legal documentation, and he was the target of the arrest.

He’s well-regarded in his South Los Angeles neighborhood and in City Hall. One councilmember’s office described him as a “citizen journalist” who provides a valuable public service.

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Parias was recovering in a hospital Wednesday after being shot in the elbow. New court documents reveal more details about authorities’ accounts of the Tuesday morning incident that unfolded in South Los Angeles.

Here are five things to know about Parias and the federal case against him.

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Parias is well-known in South LA for his Spanish-language TikTok videos. He has two accounts, including @richardla18, with more than 340,000 followers combined.

Videos on his page date back to 2004 and feature scenes from robbery investigations, car crashes, fires, tortilla-making, and rainy days in Los Angeles. This year, his posts have included videos of anti-immigration enforcement demonstrations and arrests of immigrants by federal authorities.

Parias is one of many social media users who post about immigration raids and arrests across Southern California, often relaying information in real-time to alert community members, the Associated Press reported.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price’s office recently recognized Parias for his work. He’s also shared information about city services such as food assistance programs and toy giveaways, Jose Ugarte, Price’s chief of staff, told the AP.

“People are afraid to go to certain areas,” Ugarte said. “We realized Richard was giving a lot of news to a lot of our residents.”

He’s Had Encounters With Federal Authorities Before

The councilman’s chief of staff and advocates said Parias had an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on June 13 when he was documenting their activity.

A video posted on a different TikTok account shows a man identified as Parias in a “press” vest sitting on the ground grabbing his leg. Ugarte said Parias told him that he had been pushed and had to go to the hospital, according to the AP.

A video posted by Parias’ in September shows a white van partly blocked by two vehicles with a song about migrants by the Guatemalan singer Ricardo Arjona playing in the background. Another video of the scene warns followers to be careful, seeing “how border agents pass our people from one car to another,” the AP reported.

@richardla18 #foryoupage #fyp #fpyシ #live #news #tiktokshop #somolosmasbuscados #richardla18 #123crichard #richardnews1 #richardnoticias #losangeles ##LIVEIncentiveProgram #SideHustleLIVE #PaidPartnership ♬ El Mojado Ricardo Arjona – El Shaky Vlogs

Federal authorities say that Parias has been on their radar.

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Tuesday’s shooting followed a traffic stop targeting Parias and that he had “previously escaped from custody.”

An arrest warrant had been issued for Parias as part of a federal immigration proceeding before Tuesday’s shooting, according to court documents.

White Smoke And Shredded Tires

A criminal complaint filed in federal court following Wednesday’s shooting reveals new details about authorities’ account of the incident.

On Wednesday morning, agents from Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service set up a surveillance operation outside a home on 400 block of 20th Street in Los Angeles, according to the complaint.

At around 8:45 a.m., agents saw Parias exit the home, get into a Toyota Camry and drive away. Soon after, an ICE agent in a Dodge Durango used the SUV — which had its emergency lights activated — to block Parias’s car, according to court documents.

Parias reversed his car, and two other law enforcement vehicles boxed him in, leaving Parias “with no reasonable means of escape,” according to the court complaint.

Authorities say they directed Parias to exit the car and submit to arrest.

This photo included in court documents appears to show the Camry driven by Carlitos Ricardo Parias. Authorities say the car’s tires were shredded by Parias’s “aggressive driving” as he attempted to escape. (U.S. Attorney’s Office)

“Instead of heading those commands, Parias drove the Camry both forward and back, with the Camry making contact with both the Durango and the Ram. Given Parias’s continued refusal to comply with agents’ orders, one of the federal agents on scene attempted to break the driver’s side window of the Camry,” reads the complaint.

Then, “Parias’s aggressive driving escalated to the point that large plumes of smoke formed around the Camry, apparently caused by the spinning of the car’s tires,” the complaint continues.

Authorities claim Parias accelerated the Camry toward the Durango and his car began to fishtail, “which caused the agents to fear that Parias may lose control of the Camry and hit them.”

Debris — believed to be rubber shed from the Camry’s tires — flew into the air and struck some of the agents, according to the complaint.

The agents feared “Parias would successfully dislodge the Camry from between the Durango and Ram and injure them,” according to the complaint.

The court documents do not make any mention of the shooting.

Parias Remains Hospitalized

Parias was set to appear in federal court in connection with a charge of assault on a federal officer stemming from Tuesday’s incident.

But he remained hospitalized Wednesday morning, and the court appearance was postponed, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

At some point during the interaction on 20th Street, one or more agents opened fire, according to federal authorities.

“Fearing for the safety of the public and law enforcement, our officers followed their training and fired defensive shots. The illegal alien was shot in the elbow and one law enforcement officer was shot in the hand by a ricochet bullet,” McLaughlin, the assistant DHS secretary said in a statement.

‘He’s A Very Pacifist Man’

Parias is described a Mexican national by immigration authorities. He’s accused of entering the country illegally.

Parias’s lawyer, Carlos Jurado, said in a clip shared on social media that Parias has two children who were born in the U.S., Newsweek reported.

He has no criminal record, according to Newsweek.

“We find it very odd, what’s being said about him,” Jurado said.

“He’s a very pacifist man. He has awards that have been given to him by this city, by Los Angeles, for his work. A lot of police officers know him, they know he’s a calm man,” the lawyer continued.

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