U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers shot and injured a man during an attempted stop in California on Tuesday, according to federal authorities.

The officers fired shots at Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez during a targeted traffic stop on Interstate 5 in the city of Patterson. His attorney said he is now hospitalized and “fighting for his life.”

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons alleged the driver “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over” — an accusation disputed by Mendoza Hernandez’s attorney, Patrick Kolasinski.

“Following their training, our officers fired defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and the public,” Lyons wrote in a statement posted Tuesday on social platform X.

In dashcam footage obtained and shared by KCRA-TV, a vehicle situated between an SUV and a pickup truck, with its passenger-side door open, is seen backing up and away from the other vehicles and three officers. Two officers standing at the front of the car appear to have their weapons drawn and pointed at it.

The vehicle stops abruptly as the open door collides with the front of the pickup truck. One officer runs onto the driver’s side of the car, which then shifts into drive, accelerates forward and turns sharply away from the officers. As it barrels toward the median, the driver’s side officer appears to fire his weapon. The car then lurches over the median into oncoming traffic.

The video has no audio. It is unclear when or how many shots were fired into the vehicle.

Lyons also said in the Tuesday post that Mendoza Hernandez is wanted in El Salvador for questioning connected to a murder and alleged he was a member of a Los Angeles gang.

Kolasinski is fighting back against these claims, calling Mendoza Hernandez a “loving father and partner” who was targeted by ICE “in a tragic case of mistaken identity” on a GoFundMe page he set up for his client’s family after the shooting.

“On his way to work, Carlos was stopped by ICE and, in a moment of fear, tried to flee,” Kolasinski wrote. “The situation escalated, and he was shot. Now, Carlos is in the hospital, fighting for his life, while his fiancée Cindy and their 2-year-old daughter wait and hope for his recovery.”

The Hill has reached out to Kolasinski’s office for more information on Mendoza Hernandez’s condition.

The FBI’s Sacramento office confirmed its involvement in an investigation into the shooting in an X post Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement to The Hill on Wednesday morning, FBI Sacramento Public Affairs said the investigation is “active and ongoing” and could not provide updates at this time.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) press office said the governor has “been briefed” on the shooting.

“As is established practice, we expect our federal law enforcement partners to appropriately collaborate with state and local law enforcement as this matter is investigated,” the office wrote on X.

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