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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.<\/p>\n
The officers fired shots at Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez during a targeted traffic stop on Interstate 5 in the city of Patterson.\u00a0His attorney said he is now hospitalized and \u201cfighting for his life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons alleged the driver \u201cweaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over\u201d \u2014 an accusation disputed by Mendoza Hernandez\u2019s attorney, Patrick Kolasinski.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing their training, our officers fired defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and the public,\u201d Lyons wrote in a statement posted Tuesday<\/a> on social platform X.<\/p>\n In dashcam footage<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n The vehicle stops abruptly as the open door collides with the front of the pickup truck. One officer runs onto the driver\u2019s 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\u2019s side officer appears to fire his weapon. The car then lurches over the median into oncoming traffic.<\/p>\n The video has no audio. It is unclear when or how many shots were fired into the vehicle.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Kolasinski is fighting back against these claims, calling Mendoza Hernandez a \u201cloving father and partner\u201d who was targeted by ICE \u201cin a tragic case of mistaken identity\u201d on a GoFundMe page<\/a> he set up for his client\u2019s family after the shooting.<\/p>\n \u201cOn his way to work, Carlos was stopped by ICE and, in a moment of fear, tried to flee,\u201d Kolasinski wrote. \u201cThe situation escalated, and he was shot. Now, Carlos is in the hospital, fighting for his life, while his fianc\u00e9e Cindy and their 2-year-old daughter wait and hope for his recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n The Hill has reached out to Kolasinski\u2019s office for more information on Mendoza Hernandez\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n The FBI\u2019s Sacramento office confirmed its involvement in an investigation into the shooting in an X post<\/a> Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n In a statement to The Hill on Wednesday morning, FBI Sacramento Public Affairs said the investigation is \u201cactive and ongoing\u201d and could not provide updates at this time.<\/p>\n California Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s (D) press office said the governor has \u201cbeen briefed\u201d on the shooting.<\/p>\n \u201cAs is established practice, we expect our federal law enforcement partners to appropriately collaborate with state and local law enforcement as this matter is investigated,\u201d the office wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n