At least four ICE agents were recorded tackling a young man to the ground and taking him into custody. However, he turned out to be an innocent victim who is a legal U.S. citizen.
A video posted on TikTok captured a chaotic scene that broke out in the parking lot of the Walmart in Pico Rivera, California. Several U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicles honking loudly were seen in the parking lot as agitated citizens raised an alarm.
One immigration vehicle could be seen almost hitting a man riding a bicycle, causing more witnesses to surround the officers and hurl insults at them.
Soon enough, the situation escalated, and more officers, armed with assault rifles, arrived on the scene, attacking citizens, one of whom was Adrian Villareal, who worked at Walmart. They surrounded him and roughly held his neck and hands, tackling him to the ground while he struggled.
Witnesses gathered at the scene, protesting the arrest and saying the boy was a citizen. One could be heard shouting, “He’s a f*cking hard worker!” But the ICE agents paid him no mind. Instead, they tried to stop people from recording, but the bystanders objected to that as well. “It’s my civil right! I can f*cking record you if I want!”
Eventually, the officers took the victim to their vehicle and roughly shoved him inside, choking him by the neck, while he was still wearing his Walmart uniform.
Citizens on social media also vehemently protested against the arrest, calling the actions of the officers an “abuse of power.” One user commented, “Unbelievable abuse of power… so frustrating to see this happen.” Another wrote, “Took 4 cowards for a kid,” and another replied, “This is abuse!!! Can’t believe they are allowed to do this.”
More users condemned the actions of the ICE agents, calling them “domestic terrorists” and calling the current administration a “dictatorship.” One user pointed out how the victim was grabbed by the neck. “…Something tells me that move isn’t an approved neutralization maneuver. God help us all.”
According to NBC Los Angeles, Villareal’s mother, Myra Villareal, went to the scene of the arrest after learning of what happened. She said she was scared when she heard the news and was only looking for answers. She also confirmed that her son is a legal U.S. citizen, and authorities told her that he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a federal agent.
“I was mad, sad, scared, you know? Because I don’t know how he is because they were hitting him and they were pushing him, so I hope he’s OK,” the victim’s mother said.
Several protesters have sincee gathered in Pico Rivera to protest Villarael’s arrest. However, there is still no information on whether he has been released or not.
