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Federal officers shot a man in the elbow and a deputy U.S. marshal was hit in the hand by a ricochet bullet during an immigration enforcement operation in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Immigration agents fired “defensive shots” after the man they were trying to arrest hit their car with his vehicle as he tried to avoid a traffic stop, DHS Assistant Secretary of State Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. The man had entered the US illegally and had previously escaped custody, he said. It was not immediately known when he entered the US or if he had previously been detained.
A ricochet bullet hit a deputy US marshal in the hand. Both the marshal and the suspect remain in the hospital.
McLaughlin said, “These are the results of the conduct and rhetoric of sanctuary politicians and activists who urge illegal aliens to resist arrest.”
U.S. Marshals Service Office spokesperson Tlaloc Olvera confirmed that one of their officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries while assisting with immigration enforcement and is in stable condition.
Los Angeles police said they were providing traffic control and were not directly involved in the federal operation.
The office of Los Angeles City Council member Curran Price said the man shot had lived in the city for decades and was a well-known member of the community. Price’s deputy chief of staff, Jose Ugarte, had awarded the man a certificate of recognition for citizen reporting in the community two months ago, his office said.
Last month, an ICE officer shot a suspect during an immigration enforcement operation after the man drove his car at officers and pulled one of them over. Others died, including one man who died while fleeing federal immigration agents Southern California Freeway in August
ICE tracks attacks against its officers and has blamed activists for the increase in attacks, saying their rhetoric encourages those the agency targets to resist arrest.
According to data provided by the agency, 172 attacks were recorded between January 21 and October 1 this year. This compares with 15 attacks recorded during the same period last year.
Immigration activists blame the aggressive tactics of federal immigration enforcement agents.