ICE Agents Tase US Citizen Twice and Handcuff Him With Broken Arm After E-Bike Crash, Family Claims

A US citizen's cries for help during an encounter with masked federal immigration agents have brought renewed scrutiny to the Trump administration's enforcement tactics. Footage from Long Beach, California, shows Ricardo Gonzalez being restrained on a residential street as he repeatedly says his arm is broken. The incident has prompted a public dispute between a Democratic congressman and a senior federal prosecutor, while raising questions about the use of force and accountability during immigration operations.

The encounter took place on Saturday, 17 October 2026, in North Long Beach. Neighbours rushed to help Gonzalez, according to witnesses quoted by LAist. He was taken to hospital.

Video Shows ICE Agents Restraining Long Beach Resident

The family of Gonzalez, a 40-year-old US citizen and former Long Beach city employee, alleges that ICE agents tased him twice and handcuffed him behind his back with a broken arm after an unmarked vehicle struck his electric bicycle.

Footage shared online shows masked agents pinning Gonzalez face down in a gutter as he shouts for help and says his arm is broken. According to his daughter, Leslie, he was riding his e-bike near East 56th Street and Elm Avenue when the collision occurred. Surveillance footage reported by KTLA places the encounter near Locust Avenue and Ellis Street.

Accounts differ on how it began. A neighbour told LAist that an agent jumped out of an unmarked car and tackled him. Two neighbours said agents tased him twice while he was on the ground and one knelt on his back. The Long Beach Post reported that the video shows agents blocking him in with their car and knocking him to the ground. The Taser use and the cause of the collision have not been independently verified.

What Police and the Mayor Have Said

Long Beach police said in a statement on Saturday that ICE personnel had requested emergency assistance for vehicle vandalism and a person in need of medical aid. Mayor Rex Richardson told CNN that Gonzalez was found by police after he and other community members called 911 over unmarked vehicles.

Richardson has called for the agents involved to be pulled off the streets and investigated. He wants the Department of Homeland Security to explain why they stopped Gonzalez, whether he was racially profiled and why he was not immediately given medical aid.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions from LAist, and has not publicly explained why Gonzalez was detained.

Robert Garcia Condemns Arrest as Bill Essayli Defends ICE Officers

Congressman Robert Garcia, a Democrat and former mayor of Long Beach who represents California's 42nd Congressional District, condemned the incident in a statement posted on X on Sunday. 'ICE agents brutally attacked and broke the arm of a North Long Beach resident and U.S. citizen', he wrote, calling the videos horrific.

Garcia said he was proud of the neighbours who documented the incident and stood up for the family, and said that Trump's 'inhumane and illegal deportation machine must be stopped'. He concluded: 'ICE is not welcome in Long Beach. Abolish ICE.'

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli responded on X, accusing Garcia of encouraging people to obstruct immigration agents. He wrote: 'You're a sitting member of Congress and you're encouraging people to obstruct immigration agents enforcing laws enacted by Congress? Shame on you.'

Essayli argued that such incidents could be less frequent if individuals complied with lawful orders. He praised law enforcement personnel for their service and warned that anyone who assaults them would face arrest and prosecution.

Family Raises Funds for Gonzalez's Recovery

Leslie Gonzalez has organised a GoFundMe campaign to cover her father's hospital bills and recovery. The page had raised $17,636 (about £13,255) of a $20,000 (around £15,000) target from 322 donations at the time of writing.

In the campaign description, she said her father was struck by an unmarked federal vehicle while riding his e-bike, tased twice, pinned to the ground and taken to hospital with serious injuries. She wrote that he is receiving treatment.