Federal officer opens fire on man near school after he rammed agents with car during immigration raid, DHS says

A federal officer opened fire on a man near a school in South Los Angeles after he rammed agents with a car during an immigration operation, the Department of Homeland Security has said.

Federal agents were conducting a “targeted operation” in Compton Wednesday morning to arrest William Eduardo Moran Carballo of El Salvador after an immigration judge ordered that he be deported in 2019, DHS said.

The agency described Moran Carballo as a “violent criminal illegal alien,” who’s involved in a human smuggling operation and has been arrested twice for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.

Moran Carballo “weaponized his vehicle,” ramming into agents in an attempt to evade arrest, DHS said. “Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots.”

While Moran Carballo was not hit, a Customs and Border Protection officer was injured. The Independent has reached out to DHS for comment about the extent of the officers’ injuries, but it had no new information to share.

open image in gallery

Moran Carballo reportedly tried to flee on foot, but was caught by authorities.

“It’s just scary, you know, we have a school that’s just a few hundred yards away,” a resident identified as Andrew told ABC7. “You’ve got kids that are here, kids that are fearful for their parents to get taken away. It’s very alarming.”

open image in gallery

Tensions between federal agents and residents of the cities targeted in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown have escalated following recent shootings involving DHS officers.

NBC News recently reported that federal immigration agents have shot 11 people since September. The most high-profile case was the January 7 shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis. The 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother of three was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross.

Earlier this month, thousands of people protested Trump’s aggressive deportation efforts, following the killing of Good and other shootings involving federal agents.

open image in gallery

DHS blamed elected officials for encouraging undocumented immigrants to evade arrest when announcing Wednesday’s shooting.

“These dangerous attempts to evade arrest have surged since sanctuary politicians, including [California] Governor [Gavin] Newsom, have encouraged illegal aliens to evade arrest and provided guides advising illegal aliens how to recognize ICE, block entry, and defy arrest. Our officers are now facing a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks,” DHS said.