U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tried to apprehend Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, allegedly wanted for murder in his home country of El Salvador and a reputed member of the 18th Street gang, but they had to fire shots at him when he tried to weaponize his vehicle, according to the director of ICE:
“On April 7, 2026, ICE officers were conducting a targeted vehicle stop in Patterson, CA to arrest Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, an 18th Street Gang member wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection to a murder. As officers approached the car, the wanted gang member… https://t.co/JbkIuQAba5
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) April 7, 2026
As officers approached the car, the wanted gang member weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over. Following their training, our officers fired defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and the public.
“The illegal alien was taken to a local hospital.
“The FBI is on the scene. This is a developing situation and we will update the public when more information is available.”
— ICE Director Todd M. Lyons
It all went down Tuesday in Patterson, California, a small city in the Central Valley about 79 miles from the capital of Sacramento. Dashcam video shows it was a scary scene indeed as Hernandez first reversed his car, striking a law enforcement vehicle, and then appeared to accelerate forward directly at officers. You can see one agent jumping out of the way just in the nick of time as Hernandez drove over the median and onto the other side of the highway.
Because there is no audio, it’s unclear when the shots were fired.
Dashcam Footage Captures Moment ICE Agents Open Fire in Patterson Shooting
— Washington Eye (@washington_EY) April 8, 2026
Dashcam footage from Patterson, California shows the moment authorities say Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez allegedly drove his vehicle toward ICE agents during a targeted stop, prompting officers to open… pic.twitter.com/F1gaPmeGqo
Dashcam footage from Patterson, California shows the moment authorities say Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez allegedly drove his vehicle toward ICE agents during a targeted stop, prompting officers to open fire as one agent narrowly moved out of the vehicle’s path. The FBI is now leading the investigation, while Hernandez’s attorney disputes the official account.
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Lawyers for Hernandez claim it was a case of mistaken identity, and that he was a father, he was no longer a wanted man in El Salvador, and he wasn’t part of any gang activity:
In a blistering news conference Wednesday morning, the attorney of Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez says he believes that ICE tried to arrest his client based on wrong information that Mendoza Hernandez was a gang member and that he was wanted for questioning related to a murder in… pic.twitter.com/rKVOtZXdn0
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) April 8, 2026
The above tweet continues:
The attorney provided legal documents from the Central American country that show that Mendoza Hernandez was actually acquitted of murder, and his family in El Salvador says he was never part of a gang. The attorney also said his client had no criminal record in the United States except for a traffic ticket.
We’ll just have to wait for the facts to get sorted out, but in the meantime, the obvious question is: if he were totally innocent, why the heck would he drive like that? You can debate all you want whether he intended to hit the officers — to me, it looked like he certainly did — but regardless, if you try to drive off when you’re being detained by the feds, chances are things will go badly for you.
And that’s exactly what happened here.
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
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