ICE officers shoot, wound man during immigration arrest in California

ICE officers shot a man during an immigration arrest in California after he allegedly attempted to run over an agent.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and wounded a man in central California while trying to arrest him Tuesday (April 7, 2026), federal authorities said.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said agents fired defensive shots at the suspect after he tried to run over one of the agents with his car.

DHS said the suspect, Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, is wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection to a murder. Attorney Patrick Kolasinski, who is representing Mr. Mendoza and his family, disputed that account and said authorities may have mistaken him for someone else with a similar name.

Mr. Mendoza was wounded and taken to a hospital, officials said. His family has not been allowed in to see him at the hospital but were told by a social worker that he is stable, Mr. Kolasinski said.

Mr. Kolasinski said his client works as a labourer, doing rehabilitation of fire damage. He has a 2-year-old daughter and is engaged to a U.S. citizen, he said.

The shooting occurred in Patterson, a city about 119.09 km southeast of San Francisco.