ICE Agents Forced Into Split-Second Call As Illegal Gang Member Turns Stop Into Ambush
A suspected gang member in the country illegally was shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in California after he attempted to use his vehicle to run over the federal officers on Tuesday, according to ICE Director Todd Lyons.
ICE officers stopped a vehicle near Interstate 5 in Patterson, California, to arrest Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, an 18th Street Gang member who was wanted for questioning related to a murder in El Salvador. As the federal agents approached, Hernandez “weaponized his vehicle in attempt to run an officer over,” Lyons said.
The ICE agents responded by firing defensive shots, striking Hernandez, who was hospitalized. Hernandez’s condition was unclear as of Tuesday afternoon, and it appears that no federal agents were injured.
“Following their training, our officers fired defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and the public,” Lyons said.
The 18th Street Gang is one of the largest gangs in Los Angeles and has many members from Mexico and Central America.
Footage from the aftermath of the shooting captured by KCRA Channel 3 Sacramento showed multiple vehicles under an interstate overpass as authorities assessed the scene. The FBI’s office in Sacramento said it sent agents to the scene following the shooting.
🚨 BREAKING: An ICE agent was involved in a shooting in California while pursuing a Salvadoran gang member wanted for murder in his home country. pic.twitter.com/4vG3T9Ic1E
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 7, 2026
California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed on the shooting, with his office stating, “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.”
For the past year, Newsom has clashed with the Trump administration over ICE operations in California. Newsom has claimed that state and local authorities cooperate with ICE and hand over illegal immigrants who have been convicted of state crimes, but California law severely limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office said that none of its deputies were involved in the traffic stop or ensuing shooting in Patterson on Tuesday.
ICE agents have faced a massive increase in threats and violence directed toward them in recent months, including a 3,300% spike in vehicular attacks in the past year, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The ICE-involved shooting in California comes just months after two anti-ICE agitators were shot and killed in Minneapolis, which sparked weeks of protests and calls from Democratic leaders to cut or completely defund ICE. President Donald Trump shook up the Homeland Security Department’s leadership after the Minneapolis demonstrations and the department’s messaging missteps, replacing Kristi Noem with Markwayne Mullin as the new Homeland Security secretary and demoting former Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino.
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