A U.S. Marshal was injured during a federal immigration enforcement operation in South Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, according to multiple reports and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The incident occurred around 8:50 a.m. when federal agents, including U.S. Marshals and ICE officers, attempted to apprehend a suspect who had previously evaded custody.
The officers pulled over the alleged illegal alien using standard law enforcement procedures. According to DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, the suspect “weaponized his vehicle and began ramming the law enforcement vehicle in an attempt to flee.” In response, agents fired defensive shots, as they are trained to do. The suspect was struck in the elbow, while the U.S. Marshal sustained a non-life-threatening hand injury from a ricochet bullet. Both individuals were hospitalized and later released, with the suspect returned to custody.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed no officers were involved in the operation. McLaughlin attributed the violence to the “radical, insurrectionist rhetoric of Democrat politicians and activists,” citing a 1,000% increase in assaults on ICE agents, including vehicular ramming attacks. She specifically condemned Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) for encouraging illegal aliens to resist arrest.
McLaughlin highlighted that these leaders have provided resources and guidance to evade ICE, including webinars and multilingual materials. She stated, “Resisting arrest puts the safety of illegal aliens, law enforcement, and the public at risk.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli also criticized Democratic rhetoric, urging officials to “moderate their language” to prevent deadly consequences. He emphasized that vehicles used as weapons against federal agents justify lethal force in self-defense.
The suspect, 44-year-old Mexican national Carlitos Ricardo Parias, was charged with assault on a federal officer after ramming his car into law enforcement vehicles during the operation. Parias, who had previously avoided capture, refused to comply with arrest orders, escalating the situation into a life-threatening confrontation. An agent shattered the driver’s side window, but Parias continued his resistance before agents opened fire, wounding him and a deputy U.S. Marshal. Both are expected to recover.
Parias faces up to eight years in federal prison if convicted. The DHS reiterated its commitment to enforcing immigration laws, stating vehicles used as weapons risk “arrest, imprisonment, and life-threatening injuries.”
