US citizen injured during California ICE incident, officials say

Long Beach Man Hurt During ICE Encounter as Mayor Seeks Independent Review

Sandego.net – A Long Beach resident who says he is a US citizen was injured Saturday during an encounter involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, prompting the city’s mayor to request an independent investigation and seek the removal of the federal personnel involved from enforcement duties while the matter is examined.

Ricardo Gonzalez, a former City of Long Beach employee, was found injured and handcuffed when Long Beach police responded to emergency calls connected to unmarked vehicles and an escalating confrontation. Mayor Rex Richardson said Gonzalez and other community members had called 911 after becoming concerned about the activity.

The incident unfolded on a one-way street where surveillance footage showed an unmarked SUV traveling in the wrong direction. As the vehicle entered an intersection, a man on an e-bike turned onto the same street. The available camera view does not establish whether the SUV struck the e-bike, but it shows the SUV braking sharply before several agents got out.

Two witnesses said they also saw the SUV moving the wrong way on the street. Gonzalez’s daughter, Leslie Gonzalez, wrote in a verified GoFundMe campaign that her father was hurt while riding his e-bike. Footage from the scene shows the bike near Gonzalez while a federal agent restrains him on the pavement.

Police Find Gonzalez Bleeding and in Handcuffs

Long Beach police said ICE personnel had asked the department for emergency assistance, citing vehicle vandalism and an individual who needed medical care. Officers arriving at the scene found a man in federal custody who was handcuffed and bleeding. Police also described a large disturbance involving the agents and members of the public.

Richardson said Gonzalez had contacted emergency dispatchers after witnessing a situation he believed was worsening.

“When the police arrived, we know that he was detained. He was on a curb. He was injured.”

Videos shared by witness Sherman Austin show Gonzalez lying on the ground in handcuffs as an agent wearing a vest marked “Police ICE” holds him down. In one recording, Gonzalez repeatedly calls for help, saying, “Help me, my arm is broken” and “call a paramedic.”

Austin said he saw the unmarked SUV hit Gonzalez. He said federal agents then exited the vehicle, used a Taser, broke Gonzalez’s arm and forced him to the ground. Austin began filming as additional agents arrived and Gonzalez continued to cry out in pain while being restrained.

Police took Gonzalez to a nearby fire station, where his handcuffs were removed. Fire Department personnel then transported him to a hospital for treatment. Richardson did not discuss Gonzalez’s current medical condition, citing privacy concerns, though his daughter said he is receiving care for his injuries.

Mayor Calls for Federal Accountability

In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, Richardson asked for an outside investigation into the encounter. He also requested that every federal agent involved be removed from enforcement assignments pending the outcome.

The mayor said he had spoken with Gonzalez and his family after the incident. Gonzalez told Richardson that he is a US citizen. His citizenship status remains subject to further verification.

Long Beach officers remained in the area after Gonzalez was taken for medical assistance in an effort to calm the confrontation. Police said that after officers left, some ICE agents followed them to the parking area of the fire station. The agents were told to leave and were informed they could contact the department if they wished to make a vandalism report.

The episode has sharpened concerns about how encounters involving unmarked federal vehicles, immigration enforcement officers and bystanders are handled in public spaces. The available video, witness accounts and official statements raise separate questions about the vehicle’s movement, the force used during the detention, the injury suffered by Gonzalez and the response after local police arrived. An independent inquiry could address those issues and establish a fuller account of what occurred.

Family Seeks Help With Medical Costs

Leslie Gonzalez created the GoFundMe campaign to help cover her father’s medical expenses. In her message, she described him as a devoted provider for the family.

“My Dad is one of the hardest working men out there,” she wrote. “Because of him I have a roof over my head and I have all the opportunities around me. Our family is everything because of him.”

Gonzalez worked for the City of Long Beach for roughly seven years. His most recent position was gas field service representative for Long Beach Utilities. A city spokesperson said he had been lawfully hired and called accounts of the incident deeply concerning. The city also said it was taking steps to support Gonzalez’s family.

Richardson said he was outraged by what happened. The event comes amid a broad immigration enforcement campaign under the Trump administration and follows other recent incidents in which ICE activity has left people injured, including US citizens.

Earlier this month, a man near Houston, Texas, was hospitalized after an ICE vehicle struck him, leaving both of his legs broken. Days earlier in New York City, federal immigration agents shot and injured a driver. The Long Beach case now adds to scrutiny over the conduct of immigration operations and the safeguards available when members of the public are caught up in enforcement activity.