The Guardian reported California officials and lawmakers are seeking an investigation after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a 20-year-old high school student whose lawyers say he needed surgery for a fractured wrist.
The detention took place Oct. 21 as Erik Zepeda walked to school in Santa Maria, California, The Guardian reported. The paper said it reviewed dashcam and phone recordings, including footage from a volunteer observer, that showed only parts of the encounter. In a written account to the newspaper, Zepeda said, “I thought they were going to kill me.”
Attorneys JP Cooney and Molly Gaston said Zepeda’s hospital discharge records documented surgery for the wrist fracture. School staff called an ambulance after he arrived on campus, according to The Guardian.
ICE said officers believed Zepeda matched the description of someone sought in a targeted operation. The agency said he resisted and took a fighting stance, and disputed that he had broken bones or requested medical care.
The Guardian reported that 805 UndocuFund coordinates a rapid-response network across three Central Coast counties, and that the network tracked more than 280 arrests in October. More than 100 were in Santa Maria. The network’s average for the previous nine months was about 150 arrests per month. The Guardian also reported that hundreds of students from Santa Maria High and Lompoc High joined a protest walkout Oct. 30.
EconoTimes previously covered a separate Long Beach case in which a family alleged ICE broke a U.S. citizen’s arm.
Santa Maria Police Chief Christopher Williams told The Guardian the investigation was ongoing and that he had reported the incident to the Santa Barbara County district attorney, California Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). District Attorney John Savrnoch said his office was gathering information and considering next steps.
