Overview
- Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, 36, who was stopped by ICE near Interstate 5 in Patterson on Tuesday, told his lawyer agents opened fire first and he tried to escape in fear.
- After at least three surgeries for gunshot wounds to his face and arm, his attorney said Thursday that he may leave intensive care and faces a long recovery.
- ICE says he “weaponized” his car and calls him an 18th Street gang member wanted in El Salvador, while his lawyer showed a 2019 Salvadoran court record that says he was acquitted of a murder charge.
- The FBI is leading the shooting investigation and the Justice Department has told the attorney his client is not currently under arrest, with ICE offering no update beyond its initial statement.
- Dashcam video obtained by local TV shows the car reversing into a truck and attempting a U-turn as agents point guns, but the lack of audio leaves the timing of gunfire unclear, a gap that fuels wider scrutiny of ICE use-of-force in recent cases.