A U.S. Marshal and a suspect were shot and wounded Tuesday during a federal law enforcement traffic stop in South Los Angeles.
The shooting was reported about 8:50 a.m. in the 400 block of East 20th Street, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Public Affairs Officer Luis Alani.
A statement from the U.S. Marshals Service said the marshal was wounded while attempting to take a suspect into custody who was wanted on suspicion of entering the country illegally.
According to Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the confrontation involved “an illegal alien who had previously escaped from custody” and who “attempted to evade arrest yet again.”
“ICE law enforcement officers, assisted by U.S. Marshals, pulled the illegal alien over in a standard law enforcement procedure,” McLaughlin said. “The illegal alien weaponized his vehicle and began ramming the law enforcement vehicle in an attempt to flee. Fearing for the safety of the public and law enforcement, our officers followed their training and fired defensive shots. The illegal alien was shot in the elbow and one law enforcement officer was shot in the hand by a ricochet bullet. Both are in the hospital.”
A statement from the U.S. Marshals Service said the marshal was in stable condition.
The suspect also sustained non-life-threatening injuries, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Los Angeles Police Department officers were “providing outer perimeter traffic control at the scene of a federal investigation,” according to social media posting from the department that said no LAPD officers were involved in the operation.
Federal agencies, including the FBI, and the LAPD were investigating the shooting.