A TikTok streamer shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in an operation that also wounded a U.S. deputy marshal is set to appear in federal court Wednesday on charges he assaulted a federal officer.
In a federal criminal complaint, authorities accused Carlitos Ricardo Parias, 44, of ramming his car into agents’ vehicles after they boxed him in and tried to arrest him during an immigration enforcement operation.
The operation was part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on unauthorized immigrants that has increasingly drawn scrutiny.
Acting U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli said in a post on X that Parias rammed a Toyota Camry into the law enforcement vehicles in front of and behind him, “spun the tires, spewing smoke and debris into the air, causing the car to fishtail and causing agents to worry for their safety.”
An agent then opened fire, wounding Parias and a deputy U.S. marshal, who was hit with a ricochet bullet. Both are expected to recover, Essayli said.
Parias has been charged in a criminal complaint, which laid out details of Tuesday’s events.
In an affidavit, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations said that ICE and the United States Marshals Service had set up surveillance on Tuesday in the neighborhood around a home located on the 400 block of 20th Street, where they believed Parias could be found.
They had set up surveillance because Parias “was the subject of an administrative arrest warrant issued in conjunction with a federal immigration proceeding.” Federal agents had previously tried to arrest Parias, according to the complaint, but he evaded capture.
At around 8:45 a.m., one of the agents spotted Parias exit the home, enter a grey Toyota Camry and drive away, according to the complaint. An Enforcement and Removal Operations agent driving a Dodge Durango then positioned the vehicle, with its emergency lights activated, in front of the Camry to prevent Parias from driving away.
The agent, whose name was redacted in the complaint, said “it appeared that PARIAS recognized that the Durango was a law enforcement vehicle because the Camry began quickly reversing away.”
An HSI agent then used a Ford Escape to block the car on one side and a Dodge Ram driven by a deputy marshal parked behind. According to the complaint, agents then approached the car and told Parias to exit for an arrest. When he didn’t and allegedly began backing up and moving forward, hitting the vehicles in front and behind him, an agent attempted to break the driver’s side window, according to the complaint.
When the rear of the car began to fishtail, it “caused the agents to fear that PARIAS may lose control of the Camry and hit them,” authorities said. The agent wrote that Parias’ acceleration of the Camry “caused debris (likely rubber being shed from the tires themselves) to fly into the air, which struck some of the agents.”
Video captured after the shooting shows agents speaking in Spanish to the driver, telling him to “open the door.”
“Me dieron un balazo,” Parias screamed in pain as he was pulled from the car. “I was shot.”
The video shows Parias sinking to his knees, his hands seemingly cuffed behind his back. He kept screaming that he’d been shot and was in pain, as authorities huddled around him. Firefighters eventually arrived on the scene and began cutting open Parias’ shirt to see the wound.
“Ayudenme,” Parias screamed. “Help me.”
Parias was eventually transported to the Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center, where his lawyer, Carlos Jurado, said he waited for hours Tuesday night but was unable to meet with his client. He said Parias’ son was also not allowed to see his father.
“In the end, I was asked to provide my business card and that someone would contact me but that call never happened,” Jurado said. “We’re frustrated because we have not heard directly from Richard about what happened. We want to know why they’re not allowing us to see him.”
Jurado said he was unaware of the federal charges against his client. He said no federal agency has provided him with any documentation regarding his client. He said he has already communicated with federal authorities, stating that he is Parias’ immigration attorney.
“They have not given us anything to tell us that charges have been filed, and if they have, then hopefully we’ll have more news tomorrow,” Jurado said.
Jurado said his client was currently under the custody of federal agents.
“I have not seen him in handcuffs, nor have I seen anything that tells me that he is, but according to the hospital, that’s what’s going on here,” Jurado said.
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