ICE Agents Shoot Man During California Traffic Stop

A traffic stop on a California highway ended in gunfire Tuesday, adding another disputed incident to the federal immigration crackdown's growing list of confrontations, CNN reports. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say agents opened fire near Interstate 5 in Patterson, about 90 miles south of Sacramento, after the driver they were targeting allegedly tried to run an officer down. The driver was identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant described as an 18th Street Gang member wanted in El Salvador for questioning in a murder case. He was hospitalized; officials did not release details on his condition, ABC News reports. No local officers were involved, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said agents followed their training and fired "defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and the public" after the vehicle was allegedly used as a weapon. The FBI is on the scene, and the sheriff's office said roads in the area would remain closed for the rest of the day. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said it expects federal authorities to work "appropriately" with state and local agencies as the shooting is investigated. The sheriff's office says the FBI is heading up the probe, the Modesto Bee reports.

Federal officials say attacks on their agents involving vehicles have climbed, citing more than 180 such incidents since President Trump's second term began. But DHS accounts of past shootings and use-of-force cases have sometimes shifted under scrutiny from witnesses, video evidence, and courts, raising questions about official narratives. The phrase "weaponized his/her vehicle" has become a recurring element in DHS descriptions, including in the fatal shooting of Minneapolis mother Renee Good by an ICE agent earlier this year, a case that sparked protests. The latest shooting comes as law enforcement intensifies action against the 18th Street Gang—designated a foreign terrorist organization last year—with recent federal cases in New York and Los Angeles targeting alleged members on charges ranging from racketeering to murder.