🛑 Exclusive: ICE Says Rider Smashed Federal Vehicle Mirror in North Long Beach 🛑
On Saturday, October 17, ICE ran a targeted operation in North Long Beach, California, near Ellis Street and Locust Avenue. The goal was to arrest an at-large criminal illegal alien.
ICE says a man on an e-bike smashed the mirror of a government vehicle and was arrested. He is identified as Ricardo Gonzalez, 40. His family says he is a U.S. citizen born in Hanford, California, and a former city employee.
A neighbor told the Long Beach Post that agents accused him of throwing something at their car. A crowd of about 50 people then surrounded the officers and blocked their vehicles. The standoff lasted about an hour.
ICE agents called 911 to report vehicle vandalism and a person in need of medical aid. Long Beach police took him from the agents and brought him to a fire station, where paramedics took him to a hospital. LBPD says it did not take part in immigration enforcement and made no arrests. Police told ICE to file a vandalism report with the city.
Federal law is clear. Under 18 U.S.C. 111, assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer carries up to 8 years in prison if there is physical contact, and up to 20 years if a deadly weapon is used or someone is injured. Under 18 U.S.C. 1361, damaging federal property worth more than $1,000 carries up to 10 years.
Instead of asking why a federal vehicle was damaged, Mayor Rex Richardson filed a complaint with the DHS Inspector General and said ICE "should be abolished." Rep. Robert Garcia posted "ICE is not welcome in Long Beach. Abolish ICE."
ICE's full statement:
"On October 17, 2026, ICE conducted a targeted enforcement operation in Long Beach, California to arrest an at-large criminal illegal alien. During the operation, anti-ICE agitators attempted to impede operations, threaten officers, and damage government vehicles despite officers giving lawful commands. Officers followed their training and used the minimum amount of force.
ICE did NOT hit an individual on a bike. An individual was arrested after he smashed the mirror of a government vehicle. Resisting arrest is dangerous and can result in injury.
The rioter was transferred to the custody of local police, and we are investigating potential charges for the damage to a government vehicle.
ICE law enforcement officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers. Officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training. The latest ICE use of force policy is available here.
We have seen a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement. Our brave law enforcement is facing more than a 1,600% increase in assaults, 3,300% increase in vehicular attacks, and an 8,000% increase in death threats against them. This violence must end. Anybody who lays a hand on our officers or tries to obstruct them is committing a felony and a federal crime."
🛑 Full Video: Long Beach Crowd Turns on ICE, Bullhorn Torta Drags Trash Cans to Block Agents 🛑
This is the full video of yesterday's federal operation in Long Beach, California, where agents detained a man who claims he's a U.S. citizen.
As the arrest went down, local residents got aggressive and had to be pepper sprayed.
Then the torta with the bullhorn started dragging trash cans into the street to block federal agents. Impeding a federal officer is a crime under 18 U.S.C. § 111, punishable by up to 8 years in federal prison.
Activists are already pushing their version of what happened. The full video tells a different story.
Bill Essayli (
@USAttyEssayli), would you like to make a statement on what really went down?
ICE doesn't arrest U.S. citizens for being citizens. If he was detained, there's a reason, and the public deserves to hear it.