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U.S. Marshal, migrant shot during Los Angeles traffic stop


Immigration agents in California Associated Press / Photo by Gregory Bull, File

U.S. Marshal, migrant shot during Los Angeles traffic stop

An illegal migrant was shot in the elbow on Tuesday while attempting to flee a traffic stop, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The incident occurred when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, aided by U.S. Marshals, pulled over the alleged illegal migrant, who had previously escaped custody, according to the agency. A U.S. Marshal assisting in the arrest was shot in the hand by a ricochet bullet, and both victims were hospitalized as of Tuesday, according to a preliminary report from Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

The officer’s injuries were not life-threatening and the officer’s condition has stabilized, according to a Tuesday statement from the U.S. Marshals Service in Los Angeles. FBI agents and the bureau’s evidence response team were on the scene and coordinating with federal partners, according to a Tuesday statement from Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino.

Why was the shooting necessary? Federal officers shot at the migrant, who was not publicly identified, after he tried to escape a traffic stop by weaponizing his car and ramming into an ICE vehicle, according to McLaughlin. Officers, fearing for their safety, followed their training and fired defensive shots, she said. Incidents like this happen because of sanctuary rhetoric from politicians encouraging migrants to run from police, McLaughlin said.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., hosted a webinar in February giving migrants tips for avoiding arrest at home or in public, she noted. California Gov. Gavin Newsom released guidance to migrants for blocking ICE and avoiding arrest, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued multilingual flyers advising migrants how to evade arrest, she added. Resisting arrest puts the public at risk, not to mention police and those evading arrest, McLaughlin said.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report on Los Angeles demonstrators using Bible verses while protesting against ICE earlier this year.


Christina Grube

Christina Grube is a graduate of the World Journalism Institute.


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