Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said he was outraged by the recordings and had spoken to the injured man, Ricardo Gonzalez, who is a former longtime city employee.<\/p>\n
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\u201cRicardo is a dad,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cHe just wants his kids to feel safe. He shouldn\u2019t have to worry about being injured, being hit by a car. Kids should not have to see their parent detained, whether you\u2019re a U.S. citizen or not.\u201d <\/p>\n
Gonzalez told Richardson that he is a U.S. citizen. On Monday, Richardson filed a complaint with the DHS Office of Inspector General requesting an independent investigation into the use-of-force incident and for all involved agents to be removed from field enforcement until such an investigation is complete.<\/p>\n
According to the mayor, Gonzalez had made a 911 call Saturday requesting de-escalation support from police after he saw a group of unmarked vehicles and a crowd gathering in his neighborhood. By the time officers arrived at the scene near Locust Avenue and Ellis Street, Gonzalez was on the ground screaming for medical assistance after being struck by a vehicle, Richardson said. <\/p>\n
His daughter, Leslie Gonzalez, wrote that her father was shocked with a Taser twice and pinned to the ground before being taken to the hospital for serious injuries. The family has launched a GoFundMe<\/a> to cover help cover his medical expenses. <\/p>\n \u201cMy Dad is one of the hardest working men out there,\u201d Leslie Gonzalez wrote. \u201cBecause of him I have a roof over my head and I have all the opportunities around me. Our family is everything because of him. We ask for your support and prayers during this awful time. What ICE did was not right.\u201d<\/p>\n She told The Times on Monday that the last few days had been a \u201cdifficult time\u201d for her family and declined to answer further questions until her father had recovered and was ready to speak.<\/p>\n Sherman Austin, a Long Beach resident who volunteers with the local rapid response network, a group that tracks Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, had arrived in North Long Beach with several others after receiving alerts about agents\u2019 presence in the area. He said he observed unmarked vehicles when one suddenly sped off. <\/p>\n He followed the vehicle, which he said blew through stop signs in the residential area, and that\u2019s when he saw Ricardo Gonzalez. The man was on the ground, by another unmarked car, with his e-bike toppled.<\/p>\n \u201cThey just kept their knee in his back and put handcuffs on him while his arm was broken,\u201d Austin said. \u201cYou could see the bone in his arm separating and they just sat there on him and didn\u2019t explain anything to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Neighbors came out and crowded around, arguing with ICE agents, who were detaining a woman. Bystanders began pleading with Long Beach police officers, who by then had arrived at the scene, to do something about the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had just broken a man\u2019s arm and they were trying to ride off with this other woman,\u201d Austin said. \u201cEveryone was understandably extremely angry and frustrated.\u201d<\/p>\n The Long Beach Police Department said in a statement<\/a> that it received a request for assistance from DHS and ICE on Saturday \u201cdue to vehicle vandalism taking place and a subject in need of medical aid.\u201d<\/p>\n Police officers transported Gonzalez to a nearby fire station, where they removed his handcuffs, enabling paramedics with the Long Beach Fire Department to transport him to a hospital for treatment. Officers remained at the scene to de-escalate the situation and direct a crowd of onlookers away from the area, police said.<\/p>\n Police told ICE agents that if they wanted to file a vandalism report, they could contact the city of Long Beach Communications Center and a Long Beach police officer would respond.<\/p>\n The incident came amid a recent uptick in immigration enforcement<\/a> in Southern California. Some immigration advocates say it is aimed at discouraging voter turnout in the midterm elections. <\/p>\n \u201cWe need to understand why a use of force was necessary,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cA car hitting an individual, whether that was warranted. What are the circumstances surrounding the injury? Why didn\u2019t the agents provide medical assistance?\u201d<\/p>\n Richardson demanded that DHS answer these questions and provide information on the purpose and scope of the broader enforcement operation in his complaint to the Office of Inspector General. <\/p>\n \u201cA federal badge is not a license to brutalize people, disregard their constitutional rights, or deny medical assistance to someone in need,\u201d he wrote in the complaint. \u201cNo one is above the law, including the agents entrusted with enforcing it.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) said Sunday in a statement on X<\/a> that the videos of the encounter were horrifying and should concern the country.<\/p>\n \u201cICE agents brutally attacked and broke the arm of a North Long Beach resident and U.S. citizen,\u201d he wrote, adding that he is \u201cproud of the neighbors who documented and stood up for the family being terrorized by ICE.\u201d<\/p>\n First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli re-shared Garcia\u2019s post with a statement<\/a> accusing the Congress member of encouraging people to obstruct the work of ICE agents.<\/p>\n \u201cThese incidents would be less common if the targets complied with lawful commands,\u201d Essayli wrote. \u201cYou\u2019re intentionally fanning the flames and increasing danger for the community and officers.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said there was no criminal case involving Gonzalez and referred all questions to DHS. The spokesperson did not clarify whether Essayli was accusing Gonzalez of interfering with Saturday\u2019s operation. <\/p>\n Richardson described Gonzalez as a member of the city family and said what should have been a safe Saturday in the community turned into a chaotic and deeply concerning one. <\/p>\n \u201cYou should not be able to drive around in our neighborhoods chasing people down and hitting them with your cars,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cThat\u2019s not OK in America.\u201d<\/p>\n Gonzalez has worked for the city of Long Beach in several roles and graduated from Millikan High School, according to his LinkedIn page.<\/a> He worked as a customer service representative for the city\u2019s energy resources department, as well as in the department of environmental health and for the utilities department.<\/p>\n He describes himself as having years of experience in customer service and data entry, an open mind and the willingness to always lend a hand.<\/p>\n \u201cI am open to new challenges in any industry and push myself hard to reach every goal set for myself,\u201d Gonzalez wrote in his LinkedIn bio. \u201cI\u2019ve been knocked down many times and many doors have been closed on me, but I remain positive happy and great-full to be part of this great team I call family at the city of Long Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n