New ICE Video Shows Long Beach Man Tackling Federal Officer, Undercutting “Innocent Victim” Story
Newly released footage from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows Long Beach resident Ricardo Gonzalez tackling a federal officer during an operation last week, contradicting the widely shared narrative that he was an unprovoked victim whose arm was broken by agents while he was simply riding an e-bike.
The first clips to spread online showed Gonzalez pinned face-down in a gutter, screaming that his arm was broken and that he was a U.S. citizen. Those videos, shared by groups such as StopICE.net and amplified by local officials, sparked protests outside Long Beach City Hall and calls for investigations. His daughter also launched a GoFundMe that has raised nearly $29,000 toward a $30,000 goal for “medical bills and recovery,” writing that her father “was struck by an unmarked vehicle of federal agents while riding his E-Bike,” was tased twice, pinned to the ground, and taken to the hospital.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson identified Gonzalez as a former city employee and father, told the Los Angeles Times he had spoken with him, and filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General. Rep. Robert Garcia and other California lawmakers, including Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla and Rep. Nanette Barragán, sent a letter demanding a review of the use of force, according to KTLA.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal shared the partial video earlier in the week, writing, “Another U.S. citizen was assaulted and injured by ICE. This time in Long Beach, California.”
DHS and ICE described a very different sequence of events. Officials said agents were carrying out a targeted operation to arrest an at-large criminal illegal alien when “anti-ICE agitators attempted to impede operations, threaten officers, and damage government vehicles.” They said Gonzalez was arrested after he smashed the mirror of a government vehicle, that resisting arrest can lead to injury, and that officers used the minimum force necessary. They flatly denied that agents hit him with a vehicle and called him a “rioter.”
On Thursday, ICE answered Jayapal’s post directly with additional footage showing the physical struggle as Gonzalez engages the officer. The agency said “radical sanctuary city politicians” had spent days attacking ICE officers over the arrest of a man shown “CLEARLY tackling a law enforcement officer to the ground,” adding, “There is no place in our society for attacks on law enforcement.”
Long Beach police said they responded after ICE requested help with vehicle vandalism and a person needing medical aid. Officers found Gonzalez handcuffed and bleeding, removed the restraints at a nearby fire station, and turned him over for medical transport.
Assaulting or impeding a federal officer is a federal crime. The GoFundMe remains active despite the video showing a very different encounter than the one described in the fundraiser.
