ICE agents shoot and wound man during traffic stop in Central California
ICE agents shoot and wound man during traffic stop in Central California
Lauren Mascarenhas, Danya Gainor, Taylor Galgano, CNNWed, April 8, 2026 at 9:58 AM UTC
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Law enforcement work the scene of a reported shooting in Stanislaus County, California, on Tuesday. - KCRA
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot a man, who was then taken to a hospital, while attempting to arrest him during a targeted traffic stop Tuesday in California’s Central Valley, the agency said.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said the ICE officers fired defensive shots after the person they stopped attempted to run an agent over, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.
The shooting happened near Interstate 5 in Patterson, about 90 miles south of Sacramento.
DHS identified the person shot as Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant and “18th Street Gang member wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection to a murder.”
Attorney Patrick Kolasinski, who is representing Mendoza Hernandez, disputed the DHS account of the encounter and said the agents may have mistaken his client for someone with a similar name, the reported.
CNN reached out to Kolasinski for comment.
Mendoza Hernandez, a day laborer, has a 2-year-old daughter and is engaged to a US citizen, Kolasinski told the AP.
Mendoza Hernandez’s family wasn’t able to immediately see him in the hospital, but were told he was stable, Kolasinski added.
Two dashcam videos obtained by CNN show a car crossing over the highway lane divider after being surrounded by agents. One agent is seen running out of the way of the car. It’s not clear exactly when agents fired at the vehicle because the footage does not have sound.
“As officers approached the car, the wanted gang member weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over. Following their training, our officers fired defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and the public,” the DHS statement said.
DHS says its agents have been the target of increasing violence, citing more than 180 vehicle attacks since Trump’s second term started. But the administration’s initial accounts of shootings involving federal agents have, in some cases, changed over time – or been proven wrong altogether.
The FBI is conducting an investigation, Acting Special Agent in Charge Eugene Wu said. The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office told CNN it’s assisting, and it confirmed no local law enforcement was involved with the incident.
Dashcam footage captures incident
At least three law enforcement agents are seen surrounding a black vehicle on a road near Interstate 5, video obtained by CNN shows. The black vehicle then backs up and its passenger-side door hits another car on the road.
Agents then point their guns at the vehicle as it stops for about two seconds. The car then turns left and crosses over the highway lane divider, while an agent runs out of the way of the car.
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It’s not clear when exactly agents fired at the vehicle.
Christina Valencia, whose Tesla captured one of the videos obtained by CNN, said she noticed the flashing lights from her car.
“All of a sudden I heard like a shot fired … and then maybe like 10 seconds later, I heard about five or six more go off,” she said.
CNN cannot independently confirm Valencia’s account of the gunfire.
From there, the two agents ran to their trucks and then drove in the direction of the suspect, she said. They ultimately ended up under a nearby overpass.
When the shots started, she said she put her car in reverse. “I was scared because I was like there’s nowhere for me to go,” Valencia said.
Credibility of DHS accounts questioned in prior car-involved incidents
While agents have been subjected to violence since the start of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration last year, DHS has also at times faced a crisis of credibility regarding claims it has made in the aftermath of some high-profile incidents. In arrests and use-of-force encounters across the country, versions provided by DHS of some events have been contradicted by eyewitness accounts and bystander video and challenged by independent judges.
Altercations in or around vehicles have been a steady symbol of the administration’s immigration crackdown, including car crashes between federal agents and people who try to flee, traffic stops turned violent and alleged rammings involving pro-immigrant activists.
The phrase “weaponized his/her vehicle” has been repeated by officials including former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem when she described Renee Good, a Minneapolis mother shot and killed by an ICE agent this year. Good’s death prompted widespread protests and her burgundy SUV has become a recognizable symbol of the chaotic immigration operations in Minneapolis.
The Trump administration has also come under criticism for deporting migrants it alleges are gang members, without providing evidence, such as in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. It accused wrongly deported Abrego Garcia of being an active member of MS-13 - a claim his lawyer and family deny. Abrego Garcia is currently fighting against deportation in federal court.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has urged federal law enforcement to collaborate with state and local partners in investigating Tuesday’s shooting.
“As is established practice, we expect our federal law enforcement partners to appropriately collaborate with state and local law enforcement as this matter is investigated,” Newsom’s office said on X.
This story has been with additional information.
CNN’s Melissa Gray and Jada Furlow contributed to this report.
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