Federal immigration agents shoot San Bernardino man’s car, authorities say

Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened fire on a man who they say struck two officers with his vehicle around 8:40 a.m. Saturday in San Bernardino.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, a person refused to exit his vehicle during an attempted traffic stop while a targeted immigration enforcement operation was taking place. The agency said the man “drove his car at the officers,” striking two.

At that point, the officers fired multiple shots at the vehicle, which had three people inside at the time. No one was struck. The driver escaped the scene.

While speaking to CBS News Los Angeles, members of the family inside the vehicle told a different story of the incident, saying that masked agents refused to explain the situation and hit the driver in the head after shattering a window.

After that, the bullets started flying.

“I was thinking the bullets were gonna run through the back window and hit any of us,” said a man who wanted to be identified only as Martin.

Martin says he was in the back seat at the time while his brother-in-law sat in the passenger seat and his father-in-law, who is an unauthorized immigrant, drove. He took video and photos of the situation, which he shared with CBS News Los Angeles. 

Images shared by Martin showed bullet holes on the exterior of the vehicle. His video showed an officer shattering the glass on the driver’s seat window and the officer appearing to punch the driver in the face.

Martin did not address the allegation that the driver hit two officers with the vehicle. DHS said two officers were injured after being struck, but they did not describe the extent of the injuries.

After the incident, according to a spokesperson for the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, the trio returned to their home.

Martin’s father-in-law called the San Bernardino Police Department when he arrived home to report that masked men tried to pull him over, broke his car window, and shot at him.

When officers with the SBPD arrived at the home, they found the damaged vehicle and that federal immigration officers had already arrived. 

“At that time, it was unclear what the suspect was wanted for. Under the California Values Act, California law enforcement agencies are prohibited from assisting federal officials with immigration enforcement, so our officers left the scene as the investigation was being conducted by federal authorities,” police said. 

Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice says that the federal agents arrived at the home at around 11 a.m., where they remained outside for several hours to “pressure the individual to open the door and come outside.” They allegedly did not provide a warrant and did not make attempts to communicate with the suspect or his family. 

At around 1:15 p.m., SBPD officers were called back to the home upon receiving a request for assistance from agents who said a large crowd had formed outside of the home as they “attempted to arrest the subject for assaulting a federal officer.”

Police provided crowd control at the home, stating that local law enforcement can help federal officials if officer or public safety is at risk. 

“In this case, federal agents requested assistance during a lawful arrest for assaulting a federal officer when a crowd created a potential officer safety concern,” police said. “This was not an immigration-related arrest, which would be prohibited under California law.”

Agents left the home a little before 4 p.m., said IC4IJ’s statement.

According to Martin, the man who was wanted by federal agents is a home and business owner who has been in the U.S. for more than two decades.

“He’s been here for 23 years. He’s always just been a hardworking man. There’s no reason he shouldn’t have gotten his green card a long time ago,” Martin said of his father-in-law. “He’s tried many, many, many times. [The government has] always denied it.”

The man was briefly detained but not arrested because ultimately, federal agents didn’t have a warrant, Martin said. The DHS says he was set free, “despite the subject refusing to comply and wounding two officers,” because of “California’s pro-sanctuary policies in action that shield criminals instead of protecting communities.”

The IC4IJ says the man has no criminal record. Martin claims his family no longer feels safe.

“They’re definitely gonna come back. There’s no doubt about it,” Martin says. “That’s what they do. Now we’re gonna be looking over our shoulder and fearing for our safety.”