ICE Agent Points Gun at North Hollywood Bystard's Face
A bystander was shoved into bushes and had a handgun held inches from his face during a morning operation on Friday.
By Henry Wilson ·
A federal immigration agent pointed a handgun directly at the face of a bystander in North Hollywood on Friday morning. The incident occurred near the intersection of Vineland Place and Otsego Street just before 8:30 a.m.
Video footage shows two masked agents in tactical gear labeled 'ICE Police' detaining a pedestrian on the sidewalk. A bystander walking two dogs on leashes stood nearby. One agent aimed a can of pepper spray at the dog owner and told him to back up. As the agents carried the detained man by his arms, one dropped the canister. The bystander rushed over and tossed the can into the street.
After the bystander stepped back, the agent who had been detaining the pedestrian pulled out a firearm with his right hand. He walked toward the dog owner, extended his left arm, and shoved the man into nearby bushes. The agent leaned over the bystander, holding the gun just inches from his face. He then stepped back, reholstered the weapon, and returned to an SUV.
The bystander was not taken into custody during the encounter. The agent yelled at the man and left him on the sidewalk while another agent retrieved the can from the street. More agents arrived later and placed the detained pedestrian in the back of an SUV. As the dog owner and a second witness watched, an agent approached and sprayed the dog owner. The bystander was seen running away.
Damari Butler, a resident sitting on his balcony, recorded the event. He said there was no warning or identification check before the man was tackled. 'They just grabbed him,' Butler said. He added that the incident left residents rattled and that the proximity of the gun made the moment feel dangerous. 'I thought that man was going to die,' Butler said.
The encounter took place one day after a federal judge barred agents in Southern California from stopping people based on racial stereotypes. The judge found that immigration officials had stopped individuals because they appeared Latino. Ron Gochez, a leader with the community group Union del Barrio, said several videos of the incident have been sent to the group. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Source: Los Angeles Times
