A federal immigration agent pulled out a gun and pointed it just inches from a passerby’s face during an apparent operation in North Hollywood on Friday morning, according to video obtained by The Times. The bystander was not detained or taken into custody by federal officials during the incident, but a person who appeared to be a masked federal agent pushed the man into the bushes and pointed the gun at his face after the bystander threw a spray can that another agent had dropped into the street, according to the video and a witness. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident. The encounter occurred shortly before 8:30 a.m. near the intersection of Vineland Place and Otsego Street, said Damari Butler, a resident. Butler was sitting on his balcony when he said he saw a pedestrian being approached on the sidewalk by two masked men who appeared to be U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Butler said there did not appear to be any warning before the man was thrown into nearby bushes. That’s what prompted Butler to record. “We didn’t have to ask him what his name was, no ID, nothing,” Butler said. “They just grabbed him.” Share via Close Additional sharing options The video shows a masked ICE agent detaining a pedestrian on the sidewalk, while a man with two dogs on a leash stands nearby. After a few seconds, a second masked person wearing tactical gear with “ICE Police” on the chest runs up to him and tells the man with the dogs to back off while pointing what witnesses say was a can of pepper spray at him. The man with the two dogs is then seen stepping back as the two officers handcuff the man on the sidewalk. Someone can also be heard yelling “ICE!” in the background. While the agents carry the man by the arms, the video shows an agent dropping the can. The passerby is then seen with the dogs running towards the can. An ICE officer sees this and runs over. The man throws the object towards the street. That’s when the second officer pulls out his gun. “I guess the guy with the dog pushed the pepper spray away and then the other ICE agent ran over,” Butler said. The confrontation between the two lasts only a fraction of a second, because the dog man retreats after launching the canister, and the agent facing him lets go. But behind that officer was the other one who had been stopping the pedestrian. That masked man takes out a gun with his right hand, points it at the dog man and walks towards him. He then extends his left arm and pushes the man into the bushes and leans over him, holding the gun just inches from the man’s face. The person then steps back, holsters the gun, and returns to the truck. The officer yells at the unidentified bystander and leaves him on the sidewalk while another officer retrieves the can from the street. Someone in the area can be heard using whistles, a tool that some activists have employed to alert people when ICE is in the area. Meanwhile, the detainee is seen lying in the street screaming for help in Spanish. Finally, more agents appear and put the detainee in the back of a van. As the man with the dogs and a second witness watch, an officer approaches them and sprays the man with the dogs. The passer-by is seen fleeing. ICE and Department of Homeland Security officials did not respond to questions about the detained man or why he was detained. The incident occurred a day after a federal judge banned agents in Southern California from detaining people based on racial stereotypes, and found that immigration officials had stopped and detained people in the area because they looked Latino. Seth Stoughton, a University of South Carolina law professor and former police officer, said the officer’s reaction to the bystander was inappropriate. “I can understand officers not wanting a bystander to have a canister of pepper spray, but the moment the officer pointed his gun at the guy, he threw him a considerable distance,” Stoughton said. Butler said witnessing the incident was disconcerting and has left area residents baffled. “It just shows how powerless we are,” he said. “I thought that man was going to die. If someone throws a gun and points it at his face that close, you expect the worst to happen at that moment.” The video has since circulated on social media. Ron Gochez, leader of Unión del Barrio, a community group that has been monitoring ICE activity in the area, said several videos of the North Hollywood incident have been sent to the group. Mayor Karen Bass called the video and reports of the incident “alarming.” “My office is aware of the situation and we support the community and the concerns residents are raising about the tactics being used,” Bass said in a statement. “We will not stand by or accept tactics that intimidate, instill fear or put our communities at risk.” Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who is running against Bass in the upcoming election, also issued a statement on social media, saying she was outraged by the incident and calling ICE arrests on city streets “kidnappings.” living his life.” A spokesperson for Councilman Adrin Nazarian, who represents the area on the City Council, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
