A federal agent opened fire during an operation Wednesday morning in Willowbrook, prompting a large response from local and federal authorities.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the U.S. Border Patrol or Department of Homeland Security was involved in the shooting near the intersection of 126th Street and Mona Boulevard.
Shortly after 7 a.m., the Border Patrol informed the Sheriff’s Department that the agency was conducting an operation in the area, according to the LASD. The shooting occurred shortly afterward.
In a statement provided to ABC7, Homeland Security said the targeted operation began in nearby Compton, “to arrest a violent criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, William Eduardo Moran Carballo, who is involved in a human smuggling operation and has two prior arrests for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.”
An immigration judge issued Carballo a final order of removal in 2019, according to DHS.
“In a dangerous attempt to evade arrest, this criminal illegal alien weaponized his vehicle and rammed law enforcement,” the Homeland Security statement said. “Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots. The criminal illegal alien was not hit and attempted to flee on foot. He was successfully apprehended by law enforcement. The illegal alien was not injured, but a CBP officer was injured.”
Details of the officer’s injury were not provided.
Along with several federal agents in tactical gear, sheriff’s deputies, California Highway Patrol officers responded to the scene.
“This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming,” DHS said.
Meantime, the FBI told ABC7 that the agency was not a part of the operation and said that an evidence response team was on the way to scene.
Crowd grows after federal agent opens fire
A large group of residents and activists gathered near the scene late Wednesday morning as more agents arrived, denouncing their presence.
Some were seen holding Mexican flags and filming videos on their phone. At one point, the group was yelling at members of the sheriff’s department.
“I saw the car crash … it was just crazy,” said one resident who lives in the area. “It’s just crazy how they’re coming over here and interrupting everybody’s livelihood and their lives … this is just their lives.”
Some of the people who showed up are TikTokers who said they’re working to be the voice for those who may be afraid.
“The federal ones … they like to come and go,” said Angie Vargas, a local TikToker and live streamer. “They like to move quick, so the fact that they’re here and this incident happened, I think honestly, they came to the wrong city. A lot of us are out against what’s going on, but yes, they are around our city, and I think there’s a lot of us out here … supporting the community, being an extra set of eyes for them. That’s why we’re here. We’re filming. We’re bringing everything … the truth of what’s going on, because there’s a lot of people that are scared to come out and see what’s going on.”
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