Long Beach resident injured during confrontation involving ICE agents
Goldlaner.com – A former employee of the city of Long Beach was hospitalized after a Saturday confrontation involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, prompting the mayor to seek an independent investigation and the removal of the federal personnel involved from enforcement work while the incident is reviewed.
Ricardo Gonzalez, who told city officials he is a US citizen, was found injured and in handcuffs when Long Beach Police Department officers arrived at the scene. The encounter drew a growing crowd and became what police described as a large disturbance involving federal agents.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said Gonzalez and other residents had called 911 after becoming concerned about unmarked vehicles in the area. Gonzalez was on a curb and hurt by the time local officers reached him, the mayor said.
“(Gonzalez) called 911 when he saw a circumstance escalating, and so he called and asked for assistance,” Richardson said. “When the police arrived, we know that he was detained. He was on a curb. He was injured.”
Video shows unmarked SUV traveling against traffic
Surveillance footage from the area shows an unmarked SUV traveling the wrong direction on a one-way street as a man riding an e-bike turns into the intersection. The available camera view does not clearly establish whether the SUV struck the e-bike, but it shows the vehicle stopping abruptly before several agents get out.
Two witnesses said they also saw the SUV going the wrong way. A fundraising page created by Gonzalez’s daughter, Leslie Gonzalez, states that her father was injured while riding his e-bike. Footage of the aftermath shows the e-bike near Gonzalez while a federal agent restrains him on the street.
Sherman Austin, a witness who recorded video at the scene, said he saw the unmarked vehicle hit Gonzalez. Austin said agents then used a Taser, broke Gonzalez’s arm and held him on the ground. His recordings show Gonzalez handcuffed, lying on the pavement and restrained by an agent wearing a vest marked “Police ICE.”
In one recording, Gonzalez repeatedly calls for assistance and says his arm is broken.
“Help me, my arm is broken” and “call a paramedic,” Gonzalez can be heard shouting.
Police response and medical treatment
ICE personnel had requested assistance from the Long Beach Police Department because of alleged vehicle vandalism and a person needing medical care, police said Saturday. Officers arriving at the location found a bleeding man in handcuffs while ICE detained him.
Long Beach officers transported Gonzalez to a nearby fire station, where his handcuffs were removed. Fire department personnel then took him to a hospital for treatment. The mayor did not provide an update on Gonzalez’s condition, citing privacy concerns.
Gonzalez’s daughter said he is receiving care for his injuries and created a GoFundMe page to help cover medical costs. She described him as a devoted provider for his family.
“My Dad is one of the hardest working men out there,” Leslie Gonzalez wrote. “Because of him I have a roof over my head and I have all the opportunities around me. Our family is everything because of him.”
After Gonzalez was taken away, Long Beach police stayed at the location in an effort to calm the situation. When local officers later left, some ICE agents followed them to the fire station parking lot. Police asked the agents to depart and told them they could contact the department if they wanted to submit a vandalism complaint.
Mayor calls for outside review
Richardson said he was outraged by what happened and spoke with Gonzalez and his relatives after the incident. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, the mayor requested an independent inquiry and asked that the agents connected to the event be temporarily removed from enforcement duties.
Gonzalez worked for the city of Long Beach for about seven years. His most recent position was gas field service representative with Long Beach Utilities. A city spokesperson said he had been lawfully hired and called the accounts of the incident deeply concerning. The city also said it is taking steps to support Gonzalez’s family.
Gonzalez told the mayor that he is a US citizen. His citizenship status remains subject to verification.
Broader concerns over injuries during immigration enforcement
The Long Beach incident comes during an intensified federal immigration enforcement campaign that has led to other reports of injuries involving ICE agents, including injuries to US citizens. Earlier in October, a man near Houston was hospitalized after an ICE vehicle struck him, leaving both of his legs broken.
In a separate recent incident in New York City, federal immigration agents shot and injured a driver while his 5-year-old child was in the vehicle. Such cases have heightened scrutiny of enforcement encounters, particularly where unmarked vehicles, claims of excessive force or questions about bystander safety are involved.
For Long Beach residents, the pending review may help determine key details still unresolved by the available video, including the exact sequence before Gonzalez was restrained, whether contact occurred between the SUV and e-bike, and how federal agents responded after he was injured. The investigation requested by the mayor is intended to establish those facts while Gonzalez continues medical treatment.
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