A federal marshal and a man targeted by immigration authorities were injured by gunfire during an enforcement operation in Los Angeles on Tuesday, federal officials said.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said that during a targeted traffic stop, an undocumented immigrant who was trying to flee had rammed a law enforcement vehicle with his car. Officers with the Homeland Security Department fired shots, striking the man in the elbow. A federal marshal was struck in the hand by a ricochet bullet, Ms. McLaughlin said.
The man and the injured law enforcement officer were both hospitalized, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The officer’s injury was not life-threatening and he was in stable condition, according to the United States Marshals Service. The immigrant’s condition was not immediately known.
The Department of Homeland Security has not identified the man in the traffic stop. Ms. McLaughlin said that he had “previously escaped from custody.” The Marshals Service confirmed that it was helping with the arrest of an undocumented immigrant, and that one of its deputies had been injured.
The Los Angeles Police Department said that it was helping with traffic control around the area, but that its officers were not involved in the operation. The department referred questions about the shooting to federal agencies.
“Resisting arrest puts the safety of illegal aliens, law enforcement and the public at risk,” Ms. McLaughlin said.
Federal agents have arrested hundreds of immigrants across the country in recent months. A similar traffic stop in Chicago in September turned deadly after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a fleeing man who authorities said had hit an officer with his car.
Jesus Jiménez is a Times reporter covering Southern California.
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