NorCal mayor demands answers after ‘disturbing’ ICE action

Local officials in Northern California are vowing to investigate a federal agent after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer allegedly struck a legal observer Tuesday with their car in a town north of Sacramento.

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The Department of Homeland Security quickly denied the agent struck the man, instead alleging that the pedestrian jumped onto the hood and slid off. Now, the local mayor and police chief say video evidence tells a different story.

The altercation comes as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement across Northern California in an operation that has already resulted in another ICE officer’s arrest in Fresno after police said he drunkenly attacked a 72-year-old homeowner.

The crash occurred around 9:40 a.m. Tuesday near Locust and Clover streets in Woodland, about 20 miles northwest of Sacramento, local police said in a news release. The pedestrian, identified as 37-year-old Antonio Moreida, was documenting federal immigration enforcement activity in the neighborhood when an unmarked SUV struck him, knocking him to the pavement, according to KCRA-TV. Moreida suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital. 

NorCal Resist, an immigrant advocacy organization, shared footage of the crash on social media showing Moreida being knocked to the ground. Additional footage captured by Moreida’s GoPro camera shared with KOVR-TV shows a black SUV driving directly at the man before he falls over. 

DHS denied that an ICE agent struck the pedestrian, accusing him of staging the crash in a statement provided to multiple news outlets on Wednesday.

“An agitator jumped onto the hood of an ICE vehicle and the officer driving applied the brakes. The agitator slid off the hood,” a DHS spokesperson said. “Flopping for the camera is dangerous, especially when it interferes with a federal law enforcement operation.”

Woodland Mayor Tom Stallard accused federal officials of misrepresenting the crash. 

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“The lack of truth in the Department of Homeland Security’s statement is evidenced by video taken at the scene,” Stallard said in a statement on Wednesday. “All of us can be assured that the Police Department’s investigation into this disturbing incident will continue to be speedy, fair, and impartial.” 

Meanwhile, Woodland police Chief Ryan Kinnan disputed the federal agency’s account in a statement on Wednesday, saying investigators reviewed footage and confirmed that an ICE agent hit Moreida with his vehicle and that Moreida did not jump onto the hood. The news release also said that the ICE agent braked before the crash and remained at the scene during the investigation. 

“Certain claims made in the DHS statement are inconsistent with the video evidence obtained and reviewed by Woodland Police investigators,” Kinnan said. “We believe our community deserves accurate, factual information about this incident.”

SFGATE contacted DHS to address Woodland’s police and mayor disputing their account but did not hear back prior to publication.

The Woodland Police Department said it is conducting a criminal investigation into the crash, including the actions of those involved and the events leading up to it. The findings will be forwarded to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office for an independent review. No charging decision has been announced.