By Steve Neavling
A federal marshal and a Mexican man known online as “Richard LA” were wounded by gunfire during a Homeland Security operation in Los Angeles on Tuesday, officials said.
Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, said agents attempted a “targeted traffic stop” when the man, identified as 44-year-old Carlitos Ricardo Parias, tried to flee and rammed a law enforcement vehicle, The New York Times reports. Officers opened fire, hitting Parias in the elbow. A marshal was struck in the hand by a ricochet, McLaughlin said.
Parias, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was charged with assaulting a federal officer and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Both he and the injured marshal were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Federal officials said Parias was wanted on an immigration arrest warrant and had previously evaded detention. Agents boxed in his car near downtown Los Angeles, but he struck two vehicles before an agent fired.
“A vehicle is a deadly weapon,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. “If it is used against federal agents … you also face the possibility of deadly force being used against you.”
Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren D. Price Jr. said Parias was a “citizen journalist” known for filming ICE raids and police stops on TikTok, where he had more than 133,000 followers. In August, Price’s office formally recognized him for his “tireless efforts to safeguard our neighborhoods from illegal raids and abductions.”
If convicted, Parias faces up to eight years in federal prison. The Los Angeles Police Department said its officers were not involved in the shooting but assisted with traffic control.
