WOODLAND, Calif. — The Woodland Police Department has determined that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent struck a U.S. citizen with a vehicle during an immigration enforcement operation Tuesday, directly contradicting the Department of Homeland Security’s claim that the man jumped onto the vehicle’s hood, while U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla confirmed Thursday that the agent remains on duty and working in the field.
The findings represent a significant development in the investigation into the Oct. 20 collision involving Antonio Moreida, a Woodland resident who was documenting federal immigration enforcement activity when he was struck by an unmarked sport utility vehicle near Locust and Clover streets.
Woodland police announced Wednesday that investigators had reviewed video recordings of the encounter and established that Moreida was struck by a vehicle driven by an ICE agent.
The department also determined that Moreida did not jump onto the hood or slide off the vehicle, contradicting the account publicly issued by DHS.
According to the department, investigators established that the driver applied the brakes before the collision and remained near the scene afterward. Police said the driver contacted the department and cooperated with officers during the initial investigation.
The findings contradict key elements of the federal government’s explanation, which denied that an ICE vehicle had struck a pedestrian.
In its original statement, DHS asserted, “An agitator jumped onto the hood of an ICE vehicle and the officer driving applied the brakes. The agitator slid off the hood. ICE immediately contacted EMS and the Woodland Police Department.”
The department added, “Flopping for the camera is dangerous, especially when it interferes with a federal law enforcement operation.”
Woodland police subsequently characterized those claims as “inconsistent with the video evidence obtained and reviewed” by investigators.
The police findings establish that a collision occurred but do not resolve whether the driver’s conduct was intentional or constituted a criminal offense.
The Woodland Police Department confirmed that it is conducting an active criminal investigation and intends to forward its findings to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office for review once the investigation is completed.
The findings follow growing public scrutiny of the incident, which was captured on several recordings, including footage taken by people observing the immigration operation and a residential security camera.
Woodland Police Chief Ryan Kinnan said during Tuesday’s City Council meeting that he had reviewed numerous recordings of the encounter and found their contents troubling.
“I’ve seen many videos at this point and I find what they show very troubling and concerning,” Kinnan said.
Investigators have been examining the events leading up to the collision, including the interactions between Moreida and federal immigration personnel.
The footage includes recordings made by Moreida himself, who was observing the operation and attempting to document the activities of federal agents.
Moreida, a volunteer with immigrant advocacy organization NorCal Resist and a former Yolo County employee, said he went to the neighborhood after learning that immigration enforcement activity was underway.
He told CBS Sacramento that he was recording individuals he believed were federal immigration officers and asking them to identify themselves when the incident occurred.
“I took the corner of the car to the chest,” Moreida told the television station. “When I first hit the ground, I had the wind knocked out of me. That was my first reaction.”
Moreida was treated for injuries following the collision and transported to a hospital.
The incident prompted a Wednesday news conference in Woodland attended by Rep. Mike Thompson, Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Yolo County Supervisor Angel Barajas, Woodland Mayor Tom Stallard and other community representatives.
Thompson, whose congressional district includes Woodland, sharply challenged the federal government’s characterization of the incident.
“Well, what I have to say about that, I can’t really repeat in a mixed crowd,” Thompson said when asked about the DHS statement. “It’s just nonsense and you know it and I know it, the local police know it, our community knows it and they’re not going to get away with lying to our community. They’re not going to get away with lying to the American people.”
Thompson said he had contacted the acting director of ICE to demand answers and called for federal agents to cooperate fully with the Woodland Police Department.
“We’re here to support a full investigation by our local law enforcement, and we’re here to demand that ICE fully cooperate with our local law enforcement and that they ensure that any individuals found to have engaged in misconduct or unlawful behavior are held fully accountable,” Thompson said.
In a subsequent Facebook statement, Thompson said the police findings confirmed that the federal government’s explanation was inaccurate.
“After reviewing evidence, Woodland Police Department determined that an ICE agent’s SUV did strike U.S. Citizen Antonio Moreida in Woodland on Tuesday, and Antonio did not jump onto the hood like ICE alleged,” Thompson wrote.
He said he supported a full, independent investigation into the incident and reiterated his concerns about federal immigration enforcement practices.
On Thursday, the controversy reached the U.S. Senate when Padilla conducted an unannounced oversight visit to the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations holding center in Sacramento.
Padilla said he questioned officials about the Woodland collision and confirmed that the federal agent who struck Moreida remained on active duty.
“I asked and confirmed that the agent responsible is still on the job and still out in the field. That is unacceptable. The public deserves a full investigation,” Padilla said.
The senator’s account indicates that the agent had not been removed from field duties as of Thursday, two days after the collision and one day after Woodland police publicly contradicted DHS’s version of events.
Padilla described the incident as part of his broader concerns regarding federal immigration enforcement practices and oversight of ICE operations.
“We’ve seen this Administration repeatedly deflect, deny, and avoid responsibility, even in the face of clear evidence,” Padilla said.
He said his visit also revealed concerns about the impact of immigration enforcement on people seeking government services, including individuals pursuing lawful immigration processes and citizenship.
Padilla’s office described the Sacramento visit as his third unannounced inspection of an ICE detention facility during October.
The senator has conducted oversight visits to immigration facilities across California, including locations in California City, Otay Mesa, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The Woodland incident has also prompted questions regarding the conduct of federal personnel after the collision.
During Wednesday’s news conference, Stallard alleged that a vehicle associated with federal immigration authorities subsequently appeared near Moreida’s home after he was transported to the hospital.
“And then later when he was fortunate enough to be able to come home from the hospital, this car was across the street staking out his house,” Stallard said.
Moreida has described a similar encounter and said a family member photographed the vehicle.
The identity of the vehicle’s occupants and the reason for its presence near the residence have not been independently established.
Thompson said Wednesday that the allegation should be examined as part of the investigation.
Aguiar-Curry, whose Assembly district includes Woodland, also called for a full investigation by state and local authorities.
“I expect a full investigation by local and state authorities because we can’t rely on this federal administration to investigate itself,” she said Wednesday.
Barajas said he had requested an investigation by Woodland police and a review of the evidence by the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.
The supervisor said investigators should examine available recordings and witness accounts before determining whether criminal charges are warranted.
The case involves a federal immigration enforcement operation conducted within Woodland city limits, but local police have said their officers were not participating in the operation.
The police investigation is examining the collision independently of the federal immigration activity that brought ICE personnel to the neighborhood.
Although Woodland police have reported that the federal driver cooperated with responding officers, the department has not publicly announced a determination regarding criminal responsibility.
Nor has ICE publicly announced whether it has opened a separate internal investigation into the driver’s conduct or whether additional administrative action is being considered.
The federal government’s original denial remains at odds with Woodland police’s publicly announced findings. As of Thursday, no subsequent DHS statement responding specifically to those findings had been identified.
The Woodland Police Department’s investigation remains ongoing, with its completed findings expected to be submitted to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office for review.
