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Two people — a U.S. Marshals Service deputy and an undocumented immigrant — were injured by gunfire Tuesday during a federal immigration operation in Los Angeles, authorities said.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said a man suspected of being in the country illegally who had previously escaped custody was shot in the elbow during a “standard law enforcement procedure” at a traffic stop. Details about the incident from nongovernmental sources were sparse, but the Los Angeles Times reported that federal agents had boxed the man in with a vehicle.
The man “began ramming the law enforcement vehicle in an attempt to flee,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Fearing for the safety of the public and law enforcement, our officers followed their training and fired defensive shots.”
A deputy U.S. marshal was shot in the hand by a ricochet bullet, McLaughlin said.
Both of the men who were shot were taken to a hospital, according to DHS. The officer was listed in stable condition, according to the agency; the condition of the other man was unclear.