A federal immigration enforcement action in Southern California turned volatile Wednesday morning after a wanted illegal alien allegedly used his vehicle to force his way out of an arrest attempt, resulting in a federal agent firing shots and a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer being injured.
The suspect was ultimately taken into custody following the confrontation.
The incident occurred during a focused federal operation in the Compton area aimed at apprehending individuals with violent criminal histories and outstanding immigration orders.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), officers attempted to arrest William Eduardo Moran Carballo, an illegal alien from El Salvador who has been under a final order of removal since 2019.
Federal officials say Carballo has a documented criminal background, including two prior arrests for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.
DHS also alleges that he has ties to a human smuggling operation, making him a priority target for enforcement officers. Agents arrived in the area early Wednesday as part of what the department described as a targeted arrest operation.
DHS stated that the arrest attempt escalated when Carballo allegedly tried to flee by driving directly into law enforcement officers.
“In a dangerous attempt to evade arrest, this criminal illegal alien weaponized his vehicle and rammed law enforcement,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots.”
Authorities said the suspect was not struck by gunfire and attempted to escape on foot before being apprehended.
While Carballo was not injured by the gunfire, DHS confirmed that at least one CBP officer sustained injuries during the encounter.
Officials have not released details about the severity of those injuries but emphasized that the situation posed an immediate threat to officer safety.
Local authorities were alerted shortly after the incident began.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said deputies were dispatched around 7:25 a.m. to the 2400 block of 126th Street in the unincorporated community of Willowbrook, located just north of Compton.
Deputies assisted with perimeter traffic control but were not involved in the federal enforcement action itself.
Video from the scene showed extensive damage to a silver BMW believed to be involved in the incident.
The vehicle had a shattered windshield, deployed airbags, and significant front-end damage.
A heavy federal law enforcement presence, including CBP officers, remained in the area as investigators documented the aftermath, CBS News reported.
DHS officials used the incident to draw attention to what they describe as a dramatic rise in assaults against federal officers during immigration enforcement operations.
The department attributed the increase to sanctuary-style policies that discourage cooperation with federal authorities.
“These dangerous attempts to evade arrest have surged since sanctuary politicians…have encouraged illegal aliens to evade arrest.” DHS said, reporting that officers are facing a “3,200% increase in vehicle attacks.”
The Compton confrontation follows a similar incident earlier this month in Minneapolis, where an ICE agent opened fire after a vehicle was driven into federal officers, resulting in the death of the driver and subsequent unrest.
Federal officials say the pattern underscores the growing dangers officers face while enforcing immigration law.
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