Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson told the Long Beach Post he plans to seek an inquiry into a detention after police found a man bleeding in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
The Long Beach Police Department said ICE personnel requested emergency assistance on Oct. 17 over reported vehicle vandalism and someone needing medical attention. Officers found a handcuffed man who was bleeding. Leslie Gonzalez identified him as her father, Ricardo Gonzalez, in an online fundraiser.
Police said officers took the man to a fire station, removed his handcuffs and transferred him to fire personnel, who brought him to a hospital. The department said its officers made no arrests and did not participate in immigration enforcement.
U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia described the injured man as a U.S. citizen and accused ICE agents of breaking his arm. Leslie Gonzalez alleged that an unmarked federal vehicle struck her father while he rode an electric bicycle. She also said agents used a Taser twice and pinned him down. The police account does not establish how he was injured. Her fundraiser seeks help with hospital bills and recovery costs.
CBS Los Angeles reported on Oct. 19 that ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had not responded to its requests for comment. Richardson plans to send a written complaint to the DHS Office of Inspector General, according to his interview with the Long Beach Post.
