Long Beach Residents Block ICE Vehicles With Trash Cans After US Citizen Suffers Broken Arm in Raid
Conflicting accounts say Ricardo Gonzalez was struck by a vehicle during a standoff, while local officials criticised the federal immigration operation
Long Beach residents surrounded US Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles with rubbish bins and their own bodies after a US citizen allegedly suffered a broken arm during an arrest in the city on Saturday, 17 October 2026.
Neighbours intervened after agents detained Ricardo Gonzalez, 40, whose family say the encounter left the Hanford-born Californian in a sling and in ongoing pain.
Gonzalez was born in Hanford, California, and previously worked for the City of Long Beach, his daughter, Leslie Gonzalez, told the Watchdog. Initial reporting placed the encounter near Elm Avenue and 56th Street. An 19 October Watchdog follow-up instead identified Ellis Street and Locust Avenue, citing security-camera footage.
ICE Operation Draws Angry Crowd in Long Beach
Leslie Gonzalez told the Watchdog that agents struck her father with their vehicle and used a Taser twice. A neighbour separately told the Long Beach Post that an agent tackled him. The Watchdog later reported that security footage showed a vehicle striking Gonzalez, while the Post said contact remained unclear.
A neighbour told the Post that an agent accused Gonzalez of throwing something at the vehicle. The reporting reviewed does not establish whether he did so.
The Watchdog described footage filmed by Sherman Austin, founder of stopice.net, showing agents handcuffing Gonzalez as he lay face down in the gutter. Gonzalez repeatedly said his arm was broken and requested medical assistance, according to the report.
A neighbour told the Post that unmarked law enforcement vehicles had been in the area since early that morning. Volunteers from anti-ICE rapid-response groups were also present, the outlet reported.
The Post reported that neighbours demanded to see a warrant for Gonzalez's arrest. Residents placed rubbish bins behind agents' vehicles or stood in front of them to prevent them from leaving.
'If they try to take one of us, they're going to have to take all of Long Beach,' resident Patricia Velazquez told the Post.
The Post reported, citing two neighbours, that agents detained two women described as US citizens during a roughly hour-long standoff. Another neighbour told the outlet that residents distracted agents while others opened the vehicles' doors, allowing the women to leave.
Long Beach Officials Challenge ICE Presence
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson criticised the immigration enforcement activity in an Instagram video. 'No family should have to live in fear in their own neighbourhood,' Richardson added. 'Our residents deserve to feel safe.'
Long Beach City Council member Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, who represents the 8th District, criticised the agents' conduct in a statement.
'In a free country, no one should be riding their bike in their own neighbourhood only to be subjected to an unprovoked assault by a government agent,' Thrash-Ntuk said. She accused ICE of targeting residents because of the colour of their skin, an allegation that has not been independently established.
US Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., praised residents who recorded the encounter and called for ICE to be abolished.
According to the Watchdog's account of the police statement, ICE requested emergency assistance over reported vehicle vandalism and someone needing medical aid. Police said rubbish bins prevented firefighters from reaching the scene. Officers took Gonzalez to a nearby fire station, and paramedics subsequently transported him to hospital.
The department said it did not participate in federal immigration enforcement and could not legally obstruct federal enforcement operations.
The Watchdog reported that Gonzalez wore a sling when he watched his son play football at a park on Sunday, 18 October. Leslie Gonzalez told the outlet that he remained in pain and had difficulty sitting down and getting up.
'I wouldn't have believed in a million years that this would ever happen to my family,' she told the Watchdog. 'But that's just a bad mindset to put yourself in, because it could happen to anyone.'
A ProPublica investigation published on 6 October 2026 identified more than 500 US citizens detained by immigration agents between January 2025 and September 2026. More than 100 were held after agents questioned their citizenship. Separately, the overall tally included at least 70 children and teenagers.
For Gonzalez's family, the argument has become immediate. They are left with a broken arm, unresolved questions and a neighbourhood that decided to step in.
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