During a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Torrance on Sunday, a business owner got into a heated argument with one of the federal officers who was raiding his car wash and taking some of his workers.
The loud exchange was caught on multiple videos, the first of which showed the start of the encounter as it began from within the Bubble Bath Hand Car Wash. At least four agents, one of whom appears to be filming with a video camera, are seen surrounding one worker within the car wash.
From out of frame, the man who later says he’s the owner is heard asking, “What are you guys doing?” He repeats the question, but no one replies. He then says, “This is a place of business, I need y’all to leave.” At the same time, the woman filming the video is telling the agents that they need to identify themselves. They don’t reply at first, and instead, some start leaving the area.
The owner, again out of frame, is heard raising his voice, saying, “Hey! Are you running? Are you guys criminals? Are you guys f—ing criminals? Huh?”
Meanwhile, one of the agents tells the woman filming him that he identified himself to the worker he was speaking to. “I’m talking to him, I’m not talking to you,” the masked agent says.
The second video shows ICE agents talking to and detaining multiple workers before panning over to an open area at the end of the car wash, where a group of federal officers are seen walking out of the building, followed by the owner. Some yelling is heard as the group emerges, and then one masked officer turns around and shoves the owner backward.
The owner and the agent who shoved him then engage in an intense verbal match, some of which is muffled and unclear. However, it becomes evident that the owner is yelling at the officers for raiding his business. He angrily gestures to the workers who’ve been taken, and seems to be arguing that the officers are acting without reason.
“What the f— is that? Who are y’all?” the owner can be heard saying. “You guys literally look like f—ing criminals!”
The masked officer, who starts talking at the same time as the owner, points to his vest and seems to respond with, “Who do you think we are?”
The owner then tells the agents that they’re “acting like criminals” running around his car wash, and the officer replies with, “Oh, we’re acting like criminals? Do you own this place?”
When the owner replies “Yes,” the agent says, “There are illegal aliens that are working at your operation.” The rest of the conversation is not as clear, but the officer tells the owner to “Go away” before he and the other masked agents leave in unmarked cars.
KTLA has reached out to the Torrance Police Department, ICE, and The Bubble Car Wash, but did not immediately hear back.
The post ‘You’re acting like criminals’: Owner yells at ICE agents raiding his Torrance car wash appeared first on KTLA.
