ICE agents shoot alleged gang member on busy highway in California

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Tuesday shot an alleged gang member on a busy highway near San Francisco, California, according to local media reports.

News outlets said that ICE agents targeted the man during a vehicle stop along Interstate 5 in the city of Patterson, about 85 miles (136 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco.

ICE officials said they stopped Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez on the highway, and as they approached the vehicle, he "weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over," according to a statement from ICE acting director Todd Lyons.

Lyons claimed that is when ICE agents drew their weapons and shot at the suspect, striking him, as he appeared to flee from the scene.

"Everyone is freaking out," David Nunguia, an assistant manager at a local restaurant who witnessed the shooting, told television station KCRA. "Usually it’s really busy today, but I only have like three, four tables, because nobody wants to go out. That’s really, really scary for all of us."

Mendoza Hernandez was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Investigators said that he is an 18th Street gang member wanted for questioning in connection with a murder in El Salvador.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was also involved in the immigration stop, and the FBI and local law enforcement are investigating the shooting, which officials said was "in its early stages."

"We are conducting a thorough investigation in partnership with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office and are grateful for the Patterson community’s continued patience and support," the FBI said in a statement.

Public scrutiny of US immigration agencies intensified after two fatal shootings by ICE agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, earlier in the year. Those deadly shootings sparked nationwide protests, as videos taken by bystanders contradicted ICE’s official statements about what happened during those shootings.