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Video shows moment ICE officer shoots suspect near California's I-5
Dashcam video obtained by KTVU shows the moments before and after an ICE agent shot someone in Patterson, Calif. on Tuesday.
MODESTO, Calif. - An attorney for the man shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Tuesday in California's Central Valley believes his client was targeted on the basis of "bad information."
Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez was shot and injured near I-5 in Patterson, Calif., just outside of Modesto.
‘Bad information’
Attorney Patrick Kolasinki and Cindy, fiancé of Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez. April 8, 2026
The other side:
Patrick Kolasinski, who is representing Hernandez and his family, held a news conference on Wednesday, stating that as far as he knows, his client has never been involved in any gang, as ICE alleged the day before.
Acquitted of murder
Kolasinski did acknowledge that Hernandez was charged – and then acquitted – of murder in El Salvador, which he obtained paperwork in Spanish for and shared with reporters.
The specifics of the case weren't spelled out, but Kolasinski said that Hernandez was the only person acquitted of murder in that case, and therefore, there could be no way there could have been a warrant out for his arrest.
"We believe this was a case of bad information," Kolasinski said, addressing why Hernandez may have been targeted by ICE. "This is just a horrific tragedy, along all lines."
Because Hernandez was actually originally involved in that murder case, Kolasinski also modified his earlier statements where he said the ICE shooting Tuesday morning along Interstate Highway 5 by ICE officers, appeared to be a case of mistaken identity.
Injured in shooting
Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez was shot by ICE officers in Patterson, Calif. on April 7, 2026.
Hernandez was injured in the shooting and is at Doctor's Medical Center in Modesto, but his exact condition isn't known because his family hasn't been allowed to see him.
Based on this new information about the murder acquittal, Kolasinski said it now looks like ICE got information that "doesn't add up."
Hernandez has been in the United States since 2019; he is a dual citizen of El Salvador and Mexico.
He has an American fiancé named Cindy, who didn't want her last name used, and a 2-year-old daughte. He works rehabbing fire-damaged homes. He was en route to the Bay Area for a job when he was shot.
Kolasinski added that Hernandez's legal status is unclear right now, as he hasn't been able to speak to his client. As far as Kolasinski knows, Hernandez is not being detained by ICE.
Kolasinski added that he is not even sure Hernandez is being held by anyone, or if he is even conscious in the hospital. He would like to "resolve this in a sane and rational way."
ICE narrative contradicts attorney
FBI agents at scene of ICE shooting in Patterson, Calif. April 7, 2026 Photo: KCRA
What they're saying:
ICE did not immediately respond to Kolasinki's narrative, but it contradicts with what ICE put out following the shooting.
In a statement, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said that officers were conducting a targeted operation, seeking Hernandez, whom they called an 18th Street gang member from El Salvador who they wanted to question in connection with a murder, which they didn't elaborate on.
Lyons also said that ICE officers shot at Hernandez because he "weaponized his vehicle" and drove at the officers.
The FBI is now investigating the shooting.
Dashcam video shows ICE agents shoot alleged gang member near I-5 in California
Dashcam video captured the moments Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents opened fire Tuesday on an alleged gang member near Interstate 5 in Patterson, California.
Dashcam video: different views
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Video shows moment ICE officer shoots suspect near California's I-5
Dashcam video obtained by KTVU shows the moments before and after an ICE agent shot someone in Patterson, Calif. on Tuesday.
A motorist provided dashcam video showing one angle of what happened.
Different people see the video in different ways.
What the video shows is officers standing with Hernandez on the side of the road, when at some point, he backs up his small black car and then puts it into drive, making a hard left to conduct a U-turn across the center median. One officer is seen hopping out of the way.
At least two of the officers have weapons drawn, pointing at the car.
The video has no sound, and it's unclear when the shots were fired and if words were said.
While ICE said the car was "weaponized," Kolasinski said when he watched the video, all he thought of was Renee Good, the woman killed by ICE in Minneapolis while driving away in her car.
Cindy, the fiance of Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, who was shot by ICE in Patterson, Calif. She speaks at a news conference on April 8, 2026
Hernandez is doing everything he can to back away, Kolansinksi said, adding that he's not advocating for people to evade police.
"It's natural for him to try to flee," he said. "It's a human reaction."
The problem is the training that ICE officers receive, Kolasinksi said, and the fear ICE has instilled among many nationwide.
The California Highway Patrol conducts dangerous stops all the time and they don't shoot people like that, Koansinksi said.
"ICE's own training puts the community in danger," he said.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED: Kolasinki has set up a GoFundMe for Hernandez's family.