ICE agents shoot and wound man during traffic stop in Central California

(CNN) — A man remains hospitalized Wednesday, after being shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in what the agency described as a targeted traffic stop in California’s Central Valley – though his family says the incident likely stemmed from a case of mistaken identity.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said the ICE officers fired defensive shots Tuesday after the person they stopped attempted to run an agent over, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

The shooting happened near Interstate 5 in Patterson, about 90 miles south of Sacramento.

DHS identified the person shot as Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant and “18th Street Gang member wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection to a murder.”

But Mendoza Hernandez’s family is “adamant that (he) is not and has never been a gang member, and they suspect this all stems from a tragic case of mistaken identity” while he was on his way to work, attorney Patrick Kolasinski told CNN.

Mendoza Hernandez remains at Doctor’s Medical Center in Modesto, where his family was told he is in stable condition, though their attempts to visit him have been rebuffed, Kolasinski said.

Mendoza Hernandez, a day laborer, has a 2-year-old daughter and is engaged to a US citizen, Kolasinski told the Associated Press.

Two dashcam videos obtained by CNN show a car crossing over the highway lane divider after being surrounded by agents. One agent is seen running out of the way of the car. It’s not clear exactly when agents fired at the vehicle because the footage does not have sound.

“As officers approached the car, the wanted gang member weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over. Following their training, our officers fired defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and the public,” the DHS statement said.

DHS says its agents have been the target of increasing violence, citing more than 180 vehicle attacks since Trump’s second term started. But the administration’s initial accounts of shootings involving federal agents have, in some cases, changed over time – or been proven wrong altogether.

The FBI is conducting an investigation into the incident, Acting Special Agent in Charge Eugene Wu said. The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office told CNN its agency is assisting, and confirmed no local law enforcement was involved with the incident.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged federal law enforcement to collaborate with state and local partners in investigating Tuesday’s shooting.

“As is established practice, we expect our federal law enforcement partners to appropriately collaborate with state and local law enforcement as this matter is investigated,” Newsom’s office said on X.

Dashcam footage captures incident

At least three law enforcement agents are seen surrounding a black vehicle on a road near Interstate 5, video obtained by CNN shows. The black vehicle then backs up and its passenger-side door hits another car on the road.

Agents then point their guns at the vehicle as it stops for about two seconds. The car then moves forward and veers left while a federal agent runs out of the way. The car then ambles over the highway lane divider. Two hubcabs can be seen bouncing off the tires and rolling away as the vehicle crosses the oncoming lanes. The video ends before the car comes to a complete stop.

Christina Valencia, whose Tesla captured one of the videos obtained by CNN, said she noticed the flashing lights from her car.

Though it is unclear from the silent video when exactly agents fired at the vehicle, Valencia recalls hearing them.

“All of a sudden I heard like a shot fired … and then maybe like 10 seconds later, I heard about five or six more go off,” she said.

CNN cannot independently confirm Valencia’s account of the gunfire.

From there, the two agents ran to their trucks and then drove in the direction of the suspect, she said. They ultimately ended up under a nearby overpass.

When the shots started, Valencia said she put her car in reverse. “I was scared because I was like there’s nowhere for me to go,” she said.

Credibility of DHS accounts questioned in prior car-involved incidents

While agents have been subjected to violence since the start of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration last year, DHS has also at times faced a crisis of credibility regarding claims it has made in the aftermath of some high-profile incidents. In arrests and use-of-force encounters across the country, versions provided by DHS of some events have been contradicted by eyewitness accounts and bystander video and challenged by independent judges.

Altercations in or around vehicles have been a feature of the administration’s immigration crackdown, including car crashes between federal agents and people who try to flee, traffic stops turned violent and alleged rammings involving pro-immigrant activists.

The phrase “weaponized his/her vehicle” has been repeated by officials including former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem when she described Renee Good, a Minneapolis mother, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent this year, prompting widespread outrage.

The Trump administration has also come under criticism for deporting migrants it alleges are gang members without providing evidence, such as Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The administration accused wrongly deported Abrego Garcia of being an active member of MS-13 – a claim his lawyer and family deny. Abrego Garcia is currently fighting against deportation in federal court.

This story has been updated with additional information.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Caroll Alvarado, Melissa Gray and Jada Furlow contributed to this report.