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Federal immigration agent fires shots at car in San Bernardino
The director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Baltimore Field Office, Matt Elliston, listens during a briefing on Jan. 27 in Silver Spring, Maryland.
(
Alex Brandon
/
AP
)
A San Bernardino family says that masked federal immigration agents fired multiple shots at them on Saturday morning while they were in their car.
Video footage taken by a family member and obtained by LAist media partner KCAL News show the driver being stopped by agents and the driver's car window shattered. After the window is shattered, one of the uniformed officer's punches into the car, through the shattered glass.
San Bernardino Police Department said in a statement that their officers arrived to the intersection of Acacia Avenue and Baseline Street at around 8:45 a.m. after receiving reports of gunfire.
At the scene, federal agents told police that they were involved in an "officer-involved shooting" and alleged that the car had fled the scene in a matter that threatened their officers.
In a statement obtained by LAist, the Department of Homeland Security said Customs and Border Protection officers opened fire "in self defense."
What we know about the shooting
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Homeland Security officials said they had been conducting a "targeted enforcement operation" in the area and that the driver refused to step out of the vehicle after being stopped.
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Critics say it is the reason why more detainees are risking their lives to protest inhumane conditions and legal rights violations, in the form of widespread hunger strikes. -
Advocates say they are seeing delays in the scheduling of interviews and heightened scrutiny of applicants. -
The warrantless arrests have been a key feature of the government’s mass deportation efforts.
"The suspect drove his car at the officers and struck two CBP officers with his vehicle," DHS said in the statement, "forcing a CBP officer to discharge his firearm in self-defense."
DHS officials said the officers were injured but did not give details about the extent of those injuries.
Shortly after the confrontation, the driver called police to report that "masked men had tried to pull him over, broke his car window, and shot at him," according to the San Bernardino Police Department.
What we know about what happened afterward
Later that morning, federal immigration agents surrounded the driver's and their family's home.
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By then, the federal officials said San Bernardino sheriff's deputies had "located the subject at a residence and briefly had him in custody" before "he was set free."
The statement called that "another terrible example of California’s pro-sanctuary policies in action that shield criminals instead of protecting communities.”
After a crowd started to form to support the family at their home, federal officers eventually left, without making any arrest.
"Despite never presenting a warrant, they remained until 3:45 p.m., pressuring the individual to come outside," said Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice in a statement. The nonprofit said it's providing legal services to the family.
Updated August 17, 2025 at 9:51 AM PDT
This story updated with additional details from federal immigration enforcement officials.
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