Masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents broke the arm of a U.S. citizen during a detention attempt Saturday in Long Beach, California, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said Sunday.
Ricardo Gonzalez, a former Long Beach city employee, was found handcuffed, bleeding and being detained by several ICE officers when local authorities arrived at the scene, according to a statement from the Long Beach Police Department.
Videos of the encounter taken by bystanders appeared to show Gonzalez lying face down in a gutter while several ICE agents kneeled on his back. In several videos, Gonzalez is heard yelling repeatedly, “Help me, my arm is broken,” and “Call a paramedic.”
Gonzalez’s daughter, Leslie Gonzalez, said her father was “struck by an unmarked vehicle of federal agents while riding his E-Bike.” He was then tased twice and pinned to the ground, according to her description on a GoFundMe page created to help with her father’s medical expenses.
“ICE agents brutally attacked and broke the arm of a North Long Beach resident and U.S. citizen,” Garcia, whose district includes Long Beach and parts of Orange County, wrote in a statement Sunday posted to X. “The videos are horrific and should concern not just our community but the country.”
Long Beach police said in a statement Monday to MS NOW that officers arrived after receiving a request for emergency assistance from the ICE officers due to “vehicle vandalism taking place and a subject in need of medical aid.”
According to police, officers saw “a large group disturbance involving the ICE agents” and a man in handcuffs who was bleeding.
“First responders from the Long Beach Fire Department took the man to a nearby fire station,” according to the statement. There, Gonzalez’s handcuffs were removed, and he was taken to a hospital.
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to MS NOW’s requests for comment Monday.
Police officers cleared a crowd of protesters who had gathered near the scene Sunday.
Gonzalez is believed to have been one of several community members who called 911 when he “saw a circumstance escalating,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson told CNN in a statement Sunday.
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Sydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter covering national politics and policy for MS NOW. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at SydneyCarruth.46 or follow her work on X and Bluesky.