Man was shot at by ICE agents in Northern California before he tried to flee, attorney says - BERITAJA

A man who was changeable by ICE agents successful Northern California told his lawyer that he only attempted to time off the segment aft authorities had already fired connected his conveyance — refuting the agency’s relationship of what prompted the shooting.

Patrick Kolasinski, the lawyer for Carlos Iván Mendoza Hernández, said he said pinch his customer astatine the infirmary wherever he is undergoing respective surgeries.

“The 1 point he was adamant about was that he was fired connected earlier he moved the vehicle,” Kolasinski said via Zoom from the hospital. “He was very clear connected this point, that he moved backwards because he was trying to get distant because he was changeable at.”

Spokespeople for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement referred The Times to an earlier connection issued by acting ICE Director Todd Lyons connected X, and did not respond to allegations made by Kolasinski.

After the shooting, Lyons said Hernández, a 36-year-old Salvadoran national, had “weaponized his conveyance successful an effort to tally an serviceman over.”

Kolasinski, however, said, “It’s not that his activity of the conveyance triggered the shooting but rather the different measurement around,” adding that Hernández “fled successful a panic because he was fired on.”

He said it was unclear really galore shots were fired, but that Hernández whitethorn person been struck much than six times — including successful the look and arm. The shooting is being investigated by the FBI.

“Officers are not being fixed bully rules of engagement and bully training connected really to support themselves and others safe,” he said, citing different arguable shootings involving national migration agents.

Hernández was changeable early Tuesday during a targeted migration enforcement cognition successful the area of Interstate 5 and Sperry Avenue successful Patterson, a Stanislaus County suburb.

Kolasinski said Hernández told him that he was connected his measurement to activity erstwhile he noticed constabulary lights and pulled over. He said he thought it was a regular postulation stop.

“Officers came up and asked him for his driver’s license. He handed complete his driver’s licence and past they told him they were ICE and they’re gonna return him into custody,” Kolasinski said.

Hernández asked to telephone his fiancee, “and the business spiraled retired of hand,” according to Kolasinski.

“He wasn’t doing what they asked, which is to measurement retired of the conveyance and surrender,” he said. “He was simply saying he amended telephone his [fiancee] and personification changeable him.”

A video obtained by KCRA 3 shows national officers surrounding a achromatic hatchback that is boxed betwixt 2 unmarked vehicles connected Del Puerto Canyon Road, which becomes Sperry Avenue.

The video shows the driver reversing pinch the beforehand rider doorway unfastened and striking a pickup truck. At slightest 3 agents person their guns drawn. The car past goes forward, apparently successful an effort to make a U-turn, and narrowly misses 2 officers, who unfastened fire.

An aerial position from the station’s chopper showed respective slug holes successful the vehicle’s windshield.

On Tuesday afternoon, Lyons said connected X that Hernández was an “18th Street pack personnel wanted successful El Salvador for questioning successful relationship to a murder.”

Kolasinski disputed those claims. He said his customer was not a pack personnel and that, while Hernández had been accused of execution successful El Salvador, he was acquitted of immoderate charges pertaining to that case.

Kolasinski provided reporters pinch a transcript of a five-page tribunal archive from El Salvador affirming his claim.

He besides said he has retained an lawyer successful El Salvador to analyse whether location are immoderate outstanding warrants for Hernández.

A Homeland Security spokesperson declined to opportunity whether Salvadorean authorities had requested that Hernández beryllium apprehended.

Kolasinski suspects the national authorities whitethorn person been tipped disconnected about his client’s migration position aft he was stopped and cited respective days earlier for having a cracked windshield.

“ICE sewage bad accusation and acted connected it successful statement pinch bad training,” he said.

Hernández’s fiancee Cindy, whose past sanction was not disclosed because she fears for her safety, said he is simply a loving man and begetter to their 2-year-old daughter. She said his absence has disrupted their daughter’s bedtime routine. The family lives successful Patterson.

Kolasinski has created a GoFundMe page to thief Hernández and his family screen aesculapian bills and different expenses.

The incident marks the sixth shooting involving national migration agents successful California since past August, and the 2nd this year.

In January, Homeland Security said an supplier opened occurrence connected a man successful a car aft he tried to ram his conveyance into national rule enforcement while evading apprehension during an immigration cognition successful Willowbrook.

That incident occurred 3 days earlier Border Patrol agents changeable and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti successful Minnesota. Both shootings happened a small much than 2 weeks aft an ICE supplier changeable and killed 37-year-old Renée Good.

The killings sparked legislature hearings, a partial government shutdown complete Homeland Security funding and nationwide protests against the Trump administration.

Homeland Security maintains that location has been an summation successful unit against national migration agents and officers.

Although location person been incidents of unit against agents, including the shooting decease of Border Patrol supplier David Maland successful bluish Vermont, arguable shootings and an unprecedented nonaccomplishment of national tribunal cases against suspects person raised credibility concerns about Homeland Security and its sub-agencies — including ICE and Border Patrol.

In August 2025, Border Patrol agents opened occurrence connected Francisco Longoria, his boy and 23-year-old son-in-law aft breaking the driver’s broadside model of his truck, prompting him to thrust off.

At the time, Homeland Security officials accused Longoria of driving toward agents and injuring them; surveillance video captured from crossed the thoroughfare appeared to refute that. The agency arrested Longoria and charged him pinch battle connected a national officer. The agency later dropped the charges.

In October, ICE officers opened occurrence twice successful 2 abstracted incidents: 1 successful South L.A. and the different successful Ontario. In the first shooting, Homeland Security officials accused a man of weaponizing his car and ramming a rule enforcement conveyance successful an effort to flee.

But bodycam video raised questions about the moments starring up to the shooting. The man’s car besides did not look to beryllium moving. A national judge dismissed the charges against the man.

Kolasinski said Hernández is grateful for the public’s support.

“I could conscionable show you from what I saw, he is successful important pain,” Kolasinski said. “He is not really capable to move about overmuch and he has a agelong betterment up of him.”