Woodland Police Dispute ICE Account of Vehicle Collision
Qwenews.com – ICE said a man jumped onto the hood of an agency vehicle during an immigration operation in Woodland, California. But local police said video reviewed by investigators shows the 37-year-old resident was struck by the vehicle and did not jump onto it.
The incident involved Antonio Moreida and agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a residential street in Woodland, an agricultural community near Sacramento. Surveillance footage, cellphone recordings and video from Moreida’s GoPro camera led Woodland police to challenge the initial federal description.
The central dispute is whether Moreida climbed onto the SUV or was hit while standing in the roadway. Woodland police have opened a criminal investigation and said they are reviewing evidence from multiple perspectives.
DHS initially said Moreida got onto the hood
On Wednesday morning, the Department of Homeland Security said ICE agents had not struck a pedestrian. ICE said a man jumped onto the vehicle while interfering with a federal enforcement operation.
“An agitator jumped onto the hood of an ICE vehicle and the officer driving applied the brakes,” a DHS spokesperson said. “The agitator slid off the hood. ICE immediately contacted EMS and the Woodland Police Department.”
The statement followed the public circulation of videos from the encounter. Woodland police later said the footage they reviewed did not support that account.
Police Chief Ryan Kinnan said investigators were gathering statements, audio, video and other evidence. Woodland officers were not participating in the ICE operation when the collision occurred.
Woodland police say footage shows a pedestrian was struck
In an update released Wednesday, Kinnan said DHS’s statement conflicted with video evidence obtained by local investigators. Police said the recordings showed the ICE vehicle struck Moreida and that he did not jump onto the SUV.
“Certain claims made in the DHS statement are inconsistent with the video evidence obtained and reviewed by Woodland Police investigators,” Kinnan said.
The department said its investigation will examine what happened before the collision as well as the actions of everyone involved. Police did not announce whether any charges would be filed.
The case underscores why footage from several angles can matter in disputed encounters. Different recordings may capture movement, sound and positioning that are absent from a single video. In Woodland, investigators said they were reviewing several sources rather than relying on one account.
Federal officials later changed their description
By Thursday, federal officials no longer said that Moreida had jumped on the hood. Instead, an ICE spokesperson said he had impeded law enforcement by standing in the roadway and that officers tried to avoid contact while braking and steering around him.
“This individual chose to directly impede a law enforcement action and stand in the middle of an active road,” the ICE spokesperson said. “Our officers deliberately attempted to avoid making contact with this anti-ICE protestor and drive around him, while also braking.”
The later response continued to fault Moreida for being in the street, but it did not repeat the earlier assertion that ICE said a man jumped onto the hood.
Videos place the encounter on a Woodland street
Footage places Moreida in the roadway at about 9:40 a.m. Tuesday. He said he responded after NorCal Resist, a group that monitors immigration activity, alerted people to ICE activity in Woodland. Moreida said he went to document unmarked vehicles used by agents.
Moreida said he was recording a vehicle from the driver’s side when it turned left and left him in the middle of the street. His GoPro footage shows him following a black Dodge Durango with tinted windows as it travels down the road. He said he then heard a loud engine and saw a black Chevrolet Tahoe approaching him. The GoPro recording does not include audio.
Cellphone video recorded farther down the street shows the Durango passing the Tahoe. Whistles can be heard in the background, apparently alerting nearby residents that immigration agents were in the neighborhood.
The recordings became central to the conflicting accounts after ICE said a man jumped onto the vehicle. Woodland police said their review found that description inconsistent with the evidence.
Woodland FAQ: What happens next?
Is the Woodland Police Department investigating?
Yes. Woodland police said they opened a criminal investigation and are reviewing statements, video, audio and other evidence related to the collision.
Did police determine whether charges will be filed?
No. The department said the investigation would examine the actions and circumstances surrounding the incident, but it did not announce potential charges.
What did ICE say after police challenged the initial account?
Federal officials later said Moreida had been standing in the roadway and impeded law enforcement activity. The later statement did not repeat the claim that he had jumped onto the hood.
Why are multiple videos important in this case?
Recordings from different locations can show different parts of an event. Woodland police said they reviewed video from several sources while investigating the disputed collision.
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