Indictment of Salvadoran National for Assaulting ICE Officer
A grand jury has indicted a Salvadoran national, Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, on federal assault charges after he allegedly rammed his car into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. The indictment was announced by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California on Friday.
The charges include two counts of assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon and one count of destruction of government property. This incident took place in April when ICE agents shot and killed Hernandez, who was suspected of gang affiliation, after he apparently failed to follow law enforcement directives.
According to authorities, an attempt to stop Hernandez’s vehicle occurred in Paterson, California, on April 7. During the traffic stop, he identified himself, but as the deputy instructed him to exit the vehicle, he continued to move it, ignoring repeated requests.
“Mendoza-Hernandez drove forward and hit the officer with his vehicle before quickly reversing and colliding with a law enforcement vehicle,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported. Following this, Hernandez accelerated toward two other agents, one of whom had to jump out of the way. He then reportedly crossed over the median and entered oncoming traffic.
During this dangerous turn of events, agents responded by firing into the vehicle, hitting Mendoza-Hernandez multiple times. Medical help was provided immediately at the scene, and he was later taken to a hospital.
Law enforcement has linked Hernandez to the 18th Street gang and mentioned his involvement in a murder investigation. However, his family has contested these gang-related accusations, asserting he was not connected to the alleged murder.
If found guilty on the assault charges, Hernandez could face up to 20 years in prison along with fines of $250,000 per charge. Additionally, the vandalism charge carries a potential 10-year prison sentence and similar financial penalties.
Efforts to contact Hernandez’s attorney for further comment have not yet yielded a response.
