Long Beach Mayor Seeks Probe Into ICE Detention of US Citizen

Federal immigration agents face calls for an independent investigation after Ricardo Gonzalez, a US citizen and former longtime Long Beach city employee, suffered serious injuries during a detention in North Long Beach on Saturday. Mayor Rex Richardson filed a complaint Monday seeking an investigation into the use of force and the removal of the involved agents from field enforcement while the inquiry proceeds.

Videos of the encounter show Gonzalez pinned face down in a gutter and handcuffed while pleading for help. Richardson said Gonzalez told him he was a US citizen. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to the Los Angeles Times' request for comment Monday.

In footage of the incident, Gonzalez can be heard shouting, “Help me! Help me! My arm is f— broken, it f— hurts!”

Richardson said Gonzalez had called 911 on Saturday seeking police assistance to de-escalate a situation after seeing unmarked vehicles and a crowd gathering in his neighborhood. When officers arrived near Locust Avenue and Ellis Street, Gonzalez was on the ground requesting medical assistance after being struck by a vehicle, according to the mayor.

Richardson expressed concern for Gonzalez and his children while discussing the detention.

“Ricardo is a dad,” Richardson said.

Richardson said the incident had affected a family whose children should not have to witness a parent being detained or injured. He emphasized that the circumstances of the encounter required scrutiny.

“He just wants his kids to feel safe. He shouldn’t have to worry about being injured, being hit by a car. Kids should not have to see their parent detained, whether you’re a U.S. citizen or not,” Richardson said.

The mayor's complaint asks the DHS Office of Inspector General to examine why force was used, the circumstances surrounding Gonzalez's injuries and whether agents provided appropriate medical assistance.

“We need to understand why a use of force was necessary,” Richardson said.

He also questioned the reported vehicle impact and the response to Gonzalez's injuries.

“A car hitting an individual, whether that was warranted. What are the circumstances surrounding the injury? Why didn’t the agents provide medical assistance?” Richardson said.

In his complaint, Richardson called for accountability from federal agents involved in the encounter.

“A federal badge is not a license to brutalize people, disregard their constitutional rights, or deny medical assistance to someone in need,” Richardson wrote.

He added a further warning about legal accountability for federal law enforcement personnel.

“No one is above the law, including the agents entrusted with enforcing it,” Richardson wrote.

Gonzalez's daughter, Leslie Gonzalez, said her father had sustained serious injuries and was taken to a hospital after the encounter. She wrote that he had worked hard to support his family and that relatives were seeking assistance with medical expenses.

“My Dad is one of the hardest working men out there,” Leslie Gonzalez wrote.

She described her father's role in providing for the family and criticized the agents' actions.

“Because of him I have a roof over my head and I have all the opportunities around me. Our family is everything because of him. We ask for your support and prayers during this awful time. What ICE did was not right,” Leslie Gonzalez wrote.

Leslie Gonzalez told The Times that the past few days had been a “difficult time” for her family. She declined to answer additional questions until her father had recovered and was ready to speak.

Sherman Austin, a Long Beach resident who volunteers with a local rapid response network that monitors Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, said he went to the neighborhood after receiving alerts about federal agents. He said he followed an unmarked vehicle that accelerated away and drove through stop signs before he encountered Gonzalez on the ground beside another unmarked car and a fallen electric bicycle.

Austin described seeing agents restrain Gonzalez while his arm was injured.

“They just kept their knee in his back and put handcuffs on him while his arm was broken,” Austin said.

Austin said the injury appeared severe and that agents did not explain the situation to bystanders.

“You could see the bone in his arm separating and they just sat there on him and didn’t explain anything to anyone,” Austin said.

Austin said neighbors gathered and confronted agents, who were also detaining a woman. Bystanders urged arriving Long Beach police officers to intervene.

“They had just broken a man’s arm and they were trying to ride off with this other woman,” Austin said.

He described the crowd's reaction to the detention.

“Everyone was understandably extremely angry and frustrated,” Austin said.

The Long Beach Police Department said federal authorities requested assistance Saturday in connection with reported vehicle vandalism and a person needing medical attention. Police transported Gonzalez to a nearby fire station, where officers removed his handcuffs so paramedics with the Long Beach Fire Department could take him to a hospital.

The department said its officers remained at the scene to calm the situation and direct onlookers away. Police also told federal agents they could contact the city's Communications Center if they wanted to file a vandalism report.

The department described the reason for the assistance request in its statement.

“due to vehicle vandalism taking place and a subject in need of medical aid,” the Long Beach Police Department said.

US Rep. Robert Garcia, a Democrat representing Long Beach, criticized the detention in a statement posted Sunday on X, describing the videos as disturbing and expressing support for residents who documented the encounter.

“ICE agents brutally attacked and broke the arm of a North Long Beach resident and U.S. citizen,” Garcia wrote.

Garcia also praised neighbors who documented the incident and supported the family.

“proud of the neighbors who documented and stood up for the family being terrorized by ICE,” Garcia wrote.

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli responded by resharing Garcia's post and accusing the congressman of encouraging interference with federal immigration enforcement.

“These incidents would be less common if the targets complied with lawful commands,” Essayli wrote.

Essayli further criticized Garcia's public response to the detention.

“You’re intentionally fanning the flames and increasing danger for the community,” Essayli wrote.

The incident occurred amid increased immigration enforcement in Southern California. Some immigration advocates have argued that the operations are intended to discourage voter participation in the midterm elections.