A San Bernardino family is calling for a criminal investigation after federal immigration agents fired at their car last week, an encounter that escalated into a tense standoff and days of protest in the neighborhood.
On Aug. 16, Francisco Longoria was driving home with his teenage son and his daughter’s boyfriend when, according to attorneys for the family, several masked individuals in mismatched uniforms jumped out of an unmarked vehicle and surrounded them. The family said they asked for identification but received no response. Without warning, one of the men smashed the driver’s side window and struck Longoria, who then drove away in fear. Moments later, shots rang out. At least three bullets struck the car door near where Longoria’s son was seated, the family’s attorneys said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have confirmed that agents were involved in the incident but offered a different account. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Longoria refused to exit his vehicle and drove toward officers, injuring two. That, the spokesperson said, “forced a CBP officer to discharge his firearm in self-defense.”
No one in the family’s vehicle was struck by the gunfire.
The confrontation set off a chain of events that lasted most of the day. After leaving the scene, Longoria called police, telling dispatchers that “masked men” had broken his window and shot at his car.
San Bernardino police said officers responded but did not intervene directly, citing state law that limits local participation in federal immigration enforcement. By late morning, multiple law enforcement vehicles surrounded the family’s home, where advocates said the family feared leaving after the shooting. Agents ultimately departed hours later without making an arrest.
The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, which has been working with the family, said Longoria has no criminal record and was targeted without legal justification. The group has demanded accountability from federal officials and local police.
The incident has already sparked visible community backlash. On Monday, protesters gathered outside the San Bernardino Police Department, carrying signs and denouncing the actions of federal agents. “It doesn’t seem they’re protecting us,” one advocate said. “It seems they’re protecting these bounty hunters and kidnappers.”
Attorneys for the Longoria family plan to present new evidence Friday at a press conference in San Bernardino, where the damaged vehicle will be displayed. “This was a ruthless and violent attack,” attorney Robert Simon of the Justice Team said in a statement. “The family feels they were targeted, racially profiled, and nearly kidnapped by unknown individuals.”
The family is now demanding a full criminal investigation into the shooting. “Mr. Longoria and his family have been here for decades,” the attorneys said. “They are hardworking people without any criminal record. They deserve answers.”
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