The LA Ten Four

By Sean Beckner-Carmitchel

ICE Surveilled A Street Near An LA School; Shot A Suspect And US Marshal

LOS ANGELES — Federal immigration agents shot and wounded a man identified by local officials as 44-year-old Carlitos Ricardo Parias — better known online as “Richard LA” — during a traffic stop in South Los Angeles early Tuesday morning, marking yet another escalation in enforcement operations amid growing community friction over immigration tactics. In addition, educators at a nearby school claim that lockdown procedures in case of immigration officials nearby were not followed, and federal agents claim they were surveilling the area near Los Angeles schools.

_{Federal Agents Detain A Man In South Los Angeles (Bill Essayli, via X)}

The incident occurred just before 9am on East 20th Street near Washington Boulevard, very close to the Santee Education Complex. Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were executing a “targeted enforcement traffic stop” of Parias after seeing him while surveiling a block in front of the school. Parias is charged with assault on a federal officer, and if convicted faces up to eight years in prison.

For some in South Los Angeles, the event laid bare an anxiety over federal immigration enforcement sweeping through the neighborhood and schools nearby. One teacher from Santee Education Complex described messages from students who feared the operation was headed onto campus.

Local officials and community groups expressed alarm at the incident’s proximity to a school campus. The Los Angeles Unified School District said the high-school was placed on lockdown as the scene developed, though classes resumed and administrators said students were safe.

Maria, a teacher at the Santee Education Complex, says when she notified the principal of ICE presence, she refused to take any action. “I pointed to her and she said that I don’t pay her mortgage,” Maria said in a press conference near where the incident took place.  “It’s embarrassing that the leadership that this district and our school is exhibiting,” she said later during the press conference.

_{Federal Agents Detain A Man In South Los Angeles (Bill Essayli, via X)}

Security footage posted to social media shows the street nearby the high school. Requests for more information on the surveillance to DHS, ICE and the Los Angeles Unified School District have not yet been returned.

As Ten Four was near the high school, several students appeared to be able to enter the school via an unlocked door. Students could be seen during lunchtime from the area behind a gate; there were still federal authorities nearby at that time.

Parias, who has gained a large following on TikTok for live-streaming around ICE enforcement and policing events, was previously recognized by City Councilmember Curren D. Price Jr.’s office. Several people assembled at protests against the arrest of Parias were concerned that his documentation of federal immigration activities was a motivation for his arrest.

According to an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint filed by federal authorities on Tuesday morning, federal agents set up surveillance on the block. Parias was the subject of an administrative immigration arrest warrant; the US Attorney’s Office claims that Parias had “avoided capture before.” Court documents provided by the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) state agents saw Parias leave a home and enter a gray Toyota Camry and drive eastbound.

According to federal authorities, Parias attempted to flee by ramming into law-enforcement vehicles after being boxed in. When authorities blocked Parias’ vehicle, he began to reverse. More vehicles then boxed in the Camry, leaving the vehicle “with no reasonable means of escape,” according to the USAO. According to court documents, Parias then further attempted to flee. Agents attempted to break Parias’ side window. After that, federal authorities shot Parias.

Though the USAO claims there was “no reasonable means of escape,” the statement later claims that a “large amount of smoke produced by the spinning of the Camry’s tires, caused the agents on scene to fear that Parias would successfully dislodge the Camry from between the Durango and Ram and injure them.” The federal agent then opened fire, wounding both Parias and a US Marshal.

According to several local reports, the deputy US Marshal was hit by a ricocheting bullet. The U.S. Marshals Service withheld the name of the injured deputy marshal, a standard policy in officer-involved incidents.

According to CNN, investigators “believe gunfire erupted after an ICE officer confronted the suspect’s vehicle and smashed a window with their service weapon,” citing an unnamed law enforcement source. CNN says that authorities believe that Parias and a deputy US Marshal was struck after an ICE officer attempted to grab the suspect.

“A vehicle is a deadly weapon,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli in a statement. The statement continues, saying “if it is used against federal agents, not only will you face years in federal prison, but you also face the possibility of deadly force being used against you. We will continue to use every tool in our legal arsenal to protect our agents enforcing immigration laws enacted by Congress.”

In the criminal complaint filed Tuesday evening, Parias is charged with assault on a federal officer and if convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison.

The federal operation prompted a small protest in the neighborhood; advocates contend the use of force raises civil-rights concerns. Felipe Caceras, an SEIU 720 rapid response organizer, told Ten Four that the raids were “illegal.” Caceras said that “feet from a high school, immigration was terrorizing a community…”

Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI are investigating the incident, with assistance from ICE, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). No video evidence of the actual incident has been found or reviewed by Ten Four, though video of the arrest and some of the subsequent events, obtained by Ten Four, show very little damage to any of the vehicles involved.

I’m deeply concerned with what’s happening in this nation. They’re called ICE. This is a secret police force that can do anything they want.

Councilmember Curren Price released a statement, saying the office was “deeply saddened by the recent shooting and detainment of Richard LA, during what is being reported as an immigration operation,” in the district. Richard is a pillar of our community, a fearless citizen journalist whose authentic storytelling has consistently uplifted the unheard voices of South Central Los Angeles.” Price’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Jose Ugarte, recently gave Parias recognition. Price’s statement continued, saying that “His unfiltered portrayal of real life has fostered a loyal following, both on TikTok and throughout our City. Richard LA exemplifies what it means to serve your community with courage and heart.”

As of Wednesday morning the suspect remained hospitalized and in federal custody. According to several employees of the hospital, Parias remains in Department of Homeland Security custody within Dignity Health – California Hospital Medical Center. 

For several hours, the family and attorney for Parias were not able to get inside the hospital. Parias’ attorney, Carlos Jurado, said that even once he was allowed in the facility he was not able to contact Parias.

Jurado told Ten Four that his priority was contacting Parias “to get his side of the story.” Jurado later told Ten Four that “DHS has a propensity for pulling these things and using their mighty state-sponsored media to push their narrative.”

Parias’ first day in court will be for a bond hearing tomorrow, October 21 at 1:30 p.m. at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and United States Courthouse.