Video Appears To Show ICE SUV Swerve Into Cyclist In Long Beach

LONG BEACH, CA — Newly published surveillance footage appears to show an unmarked federal SUV swerving toward a cyclist on a residential street in North Long Beach, moments before an immigration agent jumps out of the vehicle and draws a gun.

The footage, obtained by The New York Times, offers a new perspective on Saturday's confrontation involving Ricardo Gonzalez, a 40-year-old U.S. citizen who was subsequently hospitalized after federal agents detained him in an encounter that his family alleges left him with a broken arm.

Recorded by a residential security camera, the video shows a dark-colored SUV traveling the wrong way along a one-way street as Gonzalez approaches on an electric bicycle. The vehicle appears to veer sharply toward him before stopping in the roadway, with the cyclist briefly disappearing from view behind the SUV.

An agent then jumps out of the vehicle and appears to draw a handgun, while Gonzalez can be heard angrily accusing the agents of hitting him with their SUV.

The footage shows the SUV making a sharp, unmistakable turn toward Gonzalez rather than continuing along the roadway. Although the vehicle obscures the precise moment of any collision, its sudden change of direction is plainly visible, contradicting any suggestion that the SUV simply happened upon the cyclist. The position of the SUV's front wheels in subsequent footage provides further evidence of the direction in which the vehicle had been steered.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has denied that its vehicle struck Gonzalez, instead alleging that he damaged the mirror of a government SUV during the encounter near Elm Avenue and 56th Street on Oct. 17.

Federal officials said agents were conducting a targeted immigration enforcement operation and maintained that they used the minimum amount of force necessary. The agency also said it was investigating potential charges involving damage to government property.

From The Street To The Ground

The Times' video report combines the residential surveillance recording with cellphone footage capturing the confrontation that followed.

In those recordings, several masked federal agents can be seen restraining Gonzalez on the pavement beside a curb. One agent kneels over him while others hold his arms, as Gonzalez cries out in pain and repeatedly tells them his arm is broken.

The agents subsequently move him toward a nearby vehicle, where he remains on the ground as residents gather around the scene, shouting at the federal officers.

Gonzalez's daughter, Leslie, has alleged that agents struck her father with their vehicle, used a Taser on him twice and injured his arm during the detention. Although his family has described the injury as a fracture, independent medical documentation confirming a broken arm has not been publicly released.

The video also shows the growing confrontation between residents and agents, with bystanders demanding answers as officers attempt to control the increasingly tense scene.

Mayor Calls For Independent Investigation

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, who spoke with Gonzalez and his family following the incident, has filed a formal complaint with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General, calling for an independent investigation and the removal of the agents involved from field assignments while the circumstances are examined.

Richardson said Gonzalez, a former Long Beach city employee, had called 911 seeking assistance during the confrontation.

According to the Long Beach Police Department, officers responding to a request for assistance from federal authorities found Gonzalez injured, bleeding and handcuffed. With emergency vehicles unable to reach him through the crowd, police transported him to a nearby fire station, where firefighters arranged his transfer to a hospital.

LBPD emphasized that its officers did not participate in federal immigration enforcement or arrest Gonzalez.

The new surveillance footage adds another perspective to an encounter in which the initial actions of the federal agents, the alleged vehicle collision and the force used against Gonzalez remain disputed.

The complete surveillance recording, along with additional footage of Gonzalez's detention, can be viewed in The New York Times' video report here.