Federal authorities say a U.S. Marshal and a man described as an illegal immigrant were both injured during a chaotic arrest attempt in Los Angeles.
The encounter unfolded after the suspect allegedly used his car as a weapon to avoid being taken into custody.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Tuesday that the incident began when agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service, attempted to detain the man early that morning in the southern part of the city.
The individual, identified as 44-year-old Carlitos Ricardo Parias, was reportedly wanted for escaping custody and evading arrest in an earlier case.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the confrontation occurred after federal agents surrounded a white Toyota Camry believed to be driven by Parias.
In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the operation began as a routine enforcement stop before escalating when the suspect allegedly tried to flee.
“ICE law enforcement officers, assisted by U.S. Marshals, pulled the illegal alien over in a standard law enforcement procedure,” she explained. “The illegal alien weaponized his vehicle and began ramming the law enforcement vehicle in an attempt to flee. 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. Both are in the hospital,” McLaughlin noted.
Both Parias and the injured deputy marshal were transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening wounds. Federal prosecutors said both are expected to recover.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who oversees the Central District of California, said Parias faces a federal charge of assaulting a federal officer, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison if convicted.
Authorities allege that after being boxed in by law enforcement vehicles, Parias drove his Camry forward and backward, striking two of them.
The motion, officials said, caused the car’s tires to spin and emit thick smoke as he attempted to escape.
McLaughlin noted that the rise in assaults against immigration officers has surged sharply in recently, attributing it to heated political rhetoric targeting ICE and other federal agents.
“Our law enforcement officers are facing a more than 1,000% increase in assaults against them, including vehicle rammings by illegal aliens,” she commented.
“We are once again calling on sanctuary politicians, agitators, and the media to turn the temperature down and stop calling for violence and resistance against ICE law enforcement.”
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Parias, who has a social media presence documenting immigration operations under the name Richard LA, reportedly filmed and commented on federal activity around Los Angeles.
His attorney, Carlos Jurado, described his client as a peaceful man active in community outreach.
“It’s difficult to trust every word that comes from DHS,” Jurado told local station KCAL-TV. “What we know about Richard is that he’s a pacifist guy.”
“He’s very calm. A lot of the police officers here know him. They know he’s very respectful. In fact, the city of Los Angeles has awarded him for the work that he does in the community.”
U.S. Marshals confirmed in a separate statement that their deputies were supporting ICE during the operation when one of them was struck by a ricochet.
“A Deputy U.S. Marshal sustained non-life-threatening injuries during an immigration enforcement operation. The Deputy’s condition is currently listed as stable. The incident is now under investigation,” the statement read.
The agency declined to release the marshal’s identity in accordance with department policy.
The DHS assistant secretary highlighted the danger posed by such confrontations.
“Fearing for the safety of the public and law enforcement, our officers followed their training and fired defensive shots,” McLaughlin said.
Authorities have not released further details about the exact location of the confrontation, but law enforcement sources said the encounter took place near a commercial district in South Los Angeles where ICE has previously conducted enforcement operations.
In a related development, DHS also reported a large-scale enforcement action over the weekend in Idaho that resulted in more than 100 arrests.
Officials said that ICE agents had carried out a raid targeting an illegal horse racing and gambling operation in the small town of Wilder.
According to McLaughlin, the operation dismantled what investigators described as an underground enterprise involving animal fighting and illegal wagering.
She said the raid led to the detention of 105 individuals believed to be in the country unlawfully.
The FBI had previously announced five arrests connected to the same alleged gambling network, known locally as La Catedral Arena.
Those charged included 37-year-old property owner Ivan Tellez, who reportedly lives and farms with his father on the same property; Samuel Berjarano, 37, and his wife, 39-year-old Dayana Fajardo, both Mexican nationals; and Alejandro Estrada, 56, of Buhl, Idaho.
A fifth suspect, 45-year-old Cesar Orozco, was arrested later in Meridian for his alleged role as a betting courier.
FBI spokesperson Sandra Yi Barker said the Bureau worked alongside ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division, which handled immigration violations identified during the course of the broader criminal investigation.
She said the ICE presence was confined to immigration enforcement and separate from the gambling probe.
Idaho Governor Brad Little said in a statement that the state had assisted federal authorities in serving a warrant linked to the illegal enterprise.
“Illegal gambling operations involving animals often accompany drug trafficking, animal abuse, illegal weapons trafficking, and large sums of money that end up in the hands of cartel bosses,” he commented.
“The State of Idaho provided support in the service of a warrant issued by a federal judge in connection with the illegal activities taking place in Wilder.”
