LOS ANGELES – Carlitos Ricardo Parias, 44, of South Los Angeles, is facing federal charges after allegedly using his vehicle as a weapon against federal agents attempting to execute an immigration arrest. The incident, which unfolded Tuesday morning in the Historic South-Central area, left both Parias and a deputy U.S. Marshal wounded by gunfire. Parias is charged with assault on a federal officer.
According to court documents, agents had established surveillance on Parias, who was the subject of an administrative immigration arrest warrant and had previously evaded capture. When agents moved to apprehend him, Parias allegedly reversed his gray Toyota Camry, then aggressively maneuvered the vehicle, ramming into multiple law enforcement vehicles that had boxed him in. He ignored repeated commands to exit the car and submit to arrest.
The situation escalated rapidly as Parias continued to accelerate and fishtail the Camry, sending debris flying and creating thick plumes of smoke from spinning tires. Agents feared Parias would break free and injure them. In response to the perceived threat, an agent opened fire, striking Parias and, unfortunately, also wounding the deputy U.S. Marshal with a ricochet bullet. Both are expected to recover.
Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli issued a stark warning: “A vehicle is a deadly weapon. If it is used against federal agents, not only will you face years in federal prison, but you also face the possibility of deadly force being used against you. We will continue to use every tool in our legal arsenal to protect our agents enforcing immigration laws enacted by Congress.”
The investigation is a joint effort by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The General Crimes Section is handling the prosecution. Parias is expected to make his initial appearance in United States District Court in Los Angeles tomorrow.
If convicted of assault on a federal officer, Parias faces a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison. As with all criminal cases, Parias is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. A complaint merely contains allegations of wrongdoing.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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