Violent scenes have shocked the streets of Los Angeles, with officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement clashing with the general public, a US marshal being injured, and one TikTok star supposedly being struck by a bullet.
Things have bubbled to a boiling point in the United States, with Donald Trump's second term seeing the President of the United States clamp down on immigration and attempt to balloon the size of the ICE force. This has erupted in violence, like streamer Hasan "HasanAbi" Piker being caught in the crossfire of a flashbang. There's even been the introduction of a controversial app that alerts agents to ICE sightings and encourages people to snitch on their neighbors.
After HasanAbi claims he was detained for questioning Donald Trump, and the TikTok-famous Khaby Lame was sent packing from the USA, another star from the short-form video platform has felt the wrath of ICE.
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An October 21 ICE traffic stop in Los Angeles is said to have involved officers striking a motorist who they claim threatened to run them down while trying to flee. The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that one of their own and an unnamed motorist were hit by bullets during the altercation, adding that the marshal was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
They stopped short of naming the motorist, although The Washington Post says it's the TikTok star known as Richard LA.
Los Angeles City Council member Curren D. Price Jr. identified the motorist as Richard LA on social media, with Price's deputy chief of staff, Jose Ugarte, telling the outlet that his full name is Carlos Richard Parias.
As well as confirming Parias was shot, it's said that Ugarte previously presented Parias with a certificate of recognition for his “raw, honest and compassionate reporting." Still, the Washington Post couldn't confirm his immigration status.
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Since the shooting, advocacy groups have gathered near where he was arrested while shouting the likes of "Free Richard" and "Justice for Richard."
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin described it as a 'developing situation', clarifying that ICE was conducting an operation against an “illegal alien who had previously escaped from custody.”
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Claiming that the assailant started 'ramming' officers, McLaughlin added: "Fearing for the safety of the public and law enforcement, our officers followed their training and fired defensive shots."
She said that the motorist was hit in the elbow while a federal officer was “shot in the hand by a ricochet bullet.”
Elsewhere, the Atlantic reports how President Trump wants to double the number of ICE officers to over 10,000, although sources claim that a third of potential new recruits have failed to do a basic fitness test that includes 15 push-ups, 32 sit-ups, and running 1.5 miles in 14 minutes.
Los Angeles remains a hub of ICE controversy, with Los Angeles County officials declaring a state of emergency to provide rent relief and legal aid to those who think they've been financially harmed by federal immigration raids.
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Traffic stops like the above are still common, but thankfully, unlike the fatal stop and shooting of Chicago's Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez in September, Richard LA looks to have had a lucky escape.