A Mexican citizen living in the US was charged this week shot by law enforcement vehicles After Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers attempted to move his car during an arrest.
Both defendants, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, 44, of South Los Angeles, and a deputy U.S. Marshal, were shot and wounded during Tuesday’s incident.
Parias was a popular journalist on the video platform TikTok, NBC News reportedNoting that he frequently posted about fires, car accidents, and other breaking news in Southern California.
Department of Justice (DOJ) said earlier this week Parias was living in the US illegally and was the subject of an ICE arrest warrant and had previously evaded capture.
According to the DOJ, authorities located the TikToker and confined him to the Toyota Camry he was driving, leaving the vehicle with “no reasonable means of escape.”
“Once the Camry was boxed in, federal agents approached him and ordered Parias to exit the car and prepare for arrest,” authorities said. “Perias ignored those orders and drove the Camry forward and backward, striking two of the law enforcement vehicles.”
Prosecutors further said, “Given Parias’ continued refusal to comply with agents’ commands, an agent attempted to break the driver’s side window of the Camry. Parias nevertheless refused to yield to arrest, and then more aggressively drove the Camry toward a law enforcement vehicle.”
He added, “All of these factors, including the large amount of smoke emitted from the Camry’s rotating tires, led agents at the scene to fear that Parias would successfully maneuver the Camry between the Durango and the Ram and injure them.”
If Parias is convicted, he could face a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison.
