A federal agent opened fire while conducting an operation in the parking lot of an apartment building near the intersection of 126th Street and Mona Boulevard. No one was hit, but it triggered a large response from authorities as crowds of people gathered amid the chaos.
Shortly after 7 a.m., U.S. Border Patrol informed the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that the agency was conducting an operation in the area, according to LASD. The shooting occurred shortly afterward.
In a statement provided to ABC7, the Department of Homeland Security said the targeted operation began in nearby Compton, "to arrest a violent criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, William Eduardo Moran Carballo, who is involved in a human smuggling operation and has two prior arrests for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant."
An immigration judge issued Carballo a final order of removal in 2019, according to DHS.
DHS says Carballo tried to evade arrest around 7 a.m. on Wednesday and rammed his vehicle into a law enforcement vehicle. That's when one of the agents fired at Carballo, missing him, and he was taken into custody.
"In a dangerous attempt to evade arrest, this criminal illegal alien weaponized his vehicle and rammed law enforcement," the Homeland Security statement read. "Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots. The criminal illegal alien was not hit and attempted to flee on foot. He was successfully apprehended by law enforcement. The illegal alien was not injured, but a CBP officer was injured."
Further details on the officer's injury were not provided.
Video provided to Eyewitness News by a neighbor shows the man leaving the apartment building, getting into his car and driving away. Seconds later, neighbors say Border Patrol tried to take him into custody, and that's when the shooting occurred.
The incident ended with a crash. Video from the scene shows the front end of the man's white sedan smashed in with the windshield shattered and airbags deployed.
"He jumped in his car and tried to run off, like speed off, and so he must have hit the car a little bit, one of the ICE agents or a Border Patrol car a little bit while he was getting out, but they came in here harassing him," a witness said.
Although DHS says Carballo was not hit by gunfire, neighbors said they are still worried about his health due to the violent nature of the crash.
"No ambulance. No paramedics. No fire department were called or arrived on the scene. The agents then asked hours after the gunshots where the closest hospital was at, asked the community, and we pointed them to the nearest hospital," a witness said.
Video from a witness shows another person being escorted by federal agents, being held by the hair and placed in an unmarked SUV. It's not clear who that person is or how they are connected to the case.
Along with several federal agents in tactical gear, sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers responded to the scene.
"This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming," DHS said.
Meanwhile, the FBI told ABC7 that the agency was not a part of the operation and said that an evidence response team was being sent to the scene.
Crowd grows after federal agent opens fire
A large group of residents and activists gathered near the scene late Wednesday morning as more agents arrived, denouncing their presence.
Some were seen holding Mexican flags and filming videos on their phone. At one point, the group was yelling at members of the sheriff's department.
"I saw the car crash... it was just crazy," said one resident who lives in the area. "It's just crazy how they're coming over here and interrupting everybody's livelihood and their lives... this is just their lives."
Some of the people who showed up are TikTokers who said they're working to be a voice for those who may be afraid.
"The federal ones... they like to come and go," said Angie Vargas, a local TikToker and live streamer. "They like to move quick, so the fact that they're here and this incident happened, I think honestly, they came to the wrong city. A lot of us are out against what's going on, but yes, they are around our city, and I think there's a lot of us out here... supporting the community, being an extra set of eyes for them. That's why we're here. We're filming. We're bringing everything... the truth of what's going on, because there's a lot of people that are scared to come out and see what's going on."
"People are not going to work. They're causing disruptions. It's heartbreaking. It hurts. Why are you all here?" said neighbor Andre Smith. "I heard this is border patrol. If this is border patrol, ya'll need to go and patrol the border."
"It brings a lot of chaos to the kids, to people that have no citizenship. They're just here to work. That's why we're here to support our people," said Eric, whose family lives nearby. "They've been taking people with citizenships just because of the color of our skin. We're tired of it already. We need them out of here."
There were some tense moments between the federal agents and protesters, but it appears no less-than-lethal rounds were fired and no protesters were arrested.