Long Beach man injured after confrontation involving ICE agents
Qwenews.com – A former employee of the city of Long Beach was hospitalized after an incident involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Saturday that drew a large crowd, prompted police intervention and led the mayor to demand an independent investigation.
Ricardo Gonzalez, who told city officials that he is a US citizen, was found injured and in federal custody after people in the area called 911 to raise concerns about unmarked vehicles. Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said Gonzalez had also contacted emergency services as events around him intensified.
“He 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 and witness accounts raise questions
Surveillance footage from the area shows an unmarked SUV traveling against traffic on a one-way street. A man riding an e-bike turns into the intersection while moving along that same roadway. The available camera view does not clearly establish whether the vehicle made contact with the bike, but it shows the SUV stopping abruptly before several agents get out.
Two witnesses said they also saw the SUV going the wrong direction. A fundraiser organized by Gonzalez’s daughter, Leslie Gonzalez, states that he was hurt while riding his e-bike. Footage from the scene shows the bicycle near Gonzalez as a federal agent restrains him on the pavement.
Sherman Austin, a witness who recorded videos of the confrontation, said he saw Gonzalez struck by the unmarked vehicle. Austin said agents later used a Taser, injured Gonzalez’s arm and held him on the ground as additional personnel arrived.
In one recording, a handcuffed man lying on the street can be heard repeatedly asking for help and medical assistance.
“Help me, my arm is broken,” the man cries in the video. “Call a paramedic.”
The recordings show an agent wearing a vest marked “Police ICE” while restraining Gonzalez. The circumstances that preceded the confrontation, including the exact interaction between the SUV and the e-bike, remain central questions in the case.
Police found Gonzalez bleeding and handcuffed
Long Beach police said ICE personnel requested emergency help in connection with claimed vehicle vandalism and a person needing medical care. Officers arriving at the scene found a man who was bleeding, handcuffed and being held by ICE agents. Police also described a large disturbance involving federal personnel and members of the public.
Gonzalez was taken by Long Beach officers to a nearby fire station, where his handcuffs were removed. Fire department personnel then transported him to a hospital for treatment. Richardson did not provide details about Gonzalez’s condition, citing privacy concerns.
Leslie Gonzalez said her father is receiving medical care. She created a GoFundMe campaign to help cover expenses connected to his injuries and described him as a devoted provider for the family.
“My Dad is one of the hardest working men out there,” she 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.”
While officers worked to calm the situation, some ICE agents later followed Long Beach police to the parking lot of the station. The federal agents were asked to leave and were told they could contact the department if they wished to make a vandalism complaint, police said.
Mayor seeks removal of agents during investigation
Richardson said he was outraged by the incident and spoke with Gonzalez and his family afterward. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, the mayor requested an independent review and called for every federal agent involved to be removed from enforcement duties until that inquiry is complete.
The city said Gonzalez had worked for Long Beach for roughly seven years. His most recent role was gas field service representative for Long Beach Utilities. A city spokesperson said he was legally hired and characterized the reports from Saturday as deeply concerning, adding that the city is taking steps to assist his family.
Gonzalez told city officials he is a US citizen. His citizenship status has not yet been independently confirmed publicly.
Incident comes amid broader concerns over ICE operations
The Long Beach confrontation is part of a wider pattern of recent incidents involving ICE agents and injuries to people, including US citizens, during the Trump administration’s broad immigration enforcement campaign.
Earlier this month, a man near Houston was hospitalized with fractures in both legs after being hit by an ICE vehicle. In New York City, federal immigration agents shot and injured a driver days earlier while his 5-year-old child was present.
The Long Beach case has heightened scrutiny of how federal operations unfold in public spaces, particularly when unmarked vehicles, bystanders and local law enforcement are involved. It also illustrates the difficult role municipal police can face when called to scenes involving another law enforcement agency: officers must respond to immediate safety and medical needs while federal authorities retain responsibility for their own personnel and enforcement actions.
An independent investigation could help establish the sequence of events, determine whether force was justified and clarify how the injury occurred. For Gonzalez’s family, the immediate focus remains his recovery and the medical costs that follow an incident they say left him seriously hurt.
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