Incident Involving 80-Year-Old Lawyer and ICE Agents

An intense scene unfolded when an 80-year-old lawyer intervened during an immigration arrest, only to be confronted by ICE agents. Video footage from Santa Barbara captures the moment Doug Hayes was pushed back and pepper-sprayed as he attempted to halt the arrest.

The eight-minute video—first shared by a local news outlet—shows the chaotic environment outside the Santa Barbara County Probation Office. It begins with onlookers gathering around a white Dodge Charger, shouting and using whistles to alert the community of ICE’s presence.

Two activists approached the vehicle. One leaned against the passenger window while the other crouched down near the rear of the car. Suddenly, an agent exited the passenger side and tackled a man, identified as Jack Landmer, 27, to the ground. The crowd reacted with shouts of urgency.

As tensions escalated, you could hear workers threatening the crowd with pepper spray. Witnessing this, Hayes—a prominent criminal defense attorney in Santa Barbara—tried to step in. He confronted the agents, accusing them of cowardice and urging them to show their faces.

“Why don’t you do something good and act like a human being?” he called out, suggesting they ought to consider how their actions might be perceived by children.

Shortly after, while Hayes was retrieving Landmer’s backpack from the street, one of the agents pepper-sprayed him and forced him down. The 80-year-old was visibly shaken and needed assistance from bystanders, who helped him rinse his eyes with water.

People nearby later assured that Hayes was “okay,” though further assistance arrived about five minutes after the initial confrontation.

Local authorities mentioned they had not been informed about the ICE operation prior to the incident and were not present when the arrest occurred. As of now, ICE has not issued any comments on the matter.