27-Year-Old Venezuelan Man Dragged Into ICE Custody In Viral California Video

A 27-year-old Venezuelan man was taken into federal custody in North Hollywood, California, on Friday morning in an incident captured on video that has spread rapidly online. The man, identified by his family as Angel Luis Gonzalez Lobo, was seen handcuffed before agents dragged him to a vehicle. Three officers lifted him by his arms and legs while he cried out in pain.

Gonzalez Lobo’s brother said the family does not know why he was arrested. The arrest took place in a residential area where several neighbors witnessed the event. One neighbor was walking two dogs on the sidewalk when an agent approached him. The agent appeared to point a gun in the man’s face and pushed him into a bush. The neighbor seemed unarmed at the time.

Just before the agent moved, the neighbor picked up a canister of pepper spray from the sidewalk. He threw it aside as officers rushed toward him. He shouted, “I thought it was his!” The agent eventually walked back to Gonzalez Lobo, who was lying on the ground.

Damari Butler, a witness who filmed the encounter, said the situation escalated quickly. “It was a no-questions-asked thing. They just came up on him, and it was a tussle in the bushes,” Butler said. He noted that the agent with the gun backed the dog owner into the bushes. “At that point, I'm going to be honest with you, I thought that was the end for him,” Butler added.

Butler said it appeared the agents may have tased Gonzalez Lobo while he was on the ground. They then attempted to hogtie him before placing him in the back of a truck. A second car arrived as agents tried to get him into the vehicle. In a separate moment, the neighbor with the dogs picked up another object from the ground. An agent rushed after him and told him to put it down before spraying something at him.

Butler described the scene as chaotic. “It didn’t feel like anybody actually knew what they were doing on that side. It just felt like, 'If we need to use excessive force to get what we need, do it,'” he said. Another witness, who identified herself as Nancy, said she felt scared for the man being dragged. “Whether I was with my child or not, I was a bit scared. I was scared for the man that was being dragged. I was scared for myself and my son. I just didn’t feel safe walking outside my apartment building,” she said.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the incident unacceptable. “This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in L.A. I’m engaging the Attorney General’s Office to investigate and prosecute any wrongdoing by these federal agents,” she said in a statement. She also referred the matter to the Office of U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat leading oversight on federal immigration enforcement abuses. Bass noted that new state laws have implemented accountability measures for ICE agents.

The Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to requests for more information. Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman criticized the event on social media. “I am outraged by reports of violent ICE kidnappings in North Hollywood. L.A. is not a playground for the Trump regime’s inhumane operations, and Angelenos should not have to live in fear of going to work, taking their kids to school or living their life,” Raman wrote.

The video of the arrest continues to circulate, prompting calls for answers from local leaders. The incident adds to ongoing debates about federal immigration enforcement tactics in major U.S. cities.