Federal agent opens fire in Willowbrook, California prompting massive response from authorities
A federal agent opened fire during an operation Wednesday morning in Willowbrook, California, prompting a large response from local and federal authorities.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the U.S. Border Patrol or Department of Homeland Security was involved in the shooting near the intersection of 126th Street and Mona Boulevard.
Shortly after 7 a.m., the Border Patrol informed the Sheriff's Department that the agency was conducting an operation in the area, according to the LASD. The shooting occurred shortly afterward.
In a statement provided to ABC Los Angeles affiliate KABC, Homeland Security said the targeted operation began in nearby Compton, "to arrest a violent criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, William Eduardo Moran Carballo, who is involved in a human smuggling operation and has two prior arrests for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant."
An immigration judge issued Carballo a final order of removal in 2019, according to DHS.
"In a dangerous attempt to evade arrest, this criminal illegal alien weaponized his vehicle and rammed law enforcement," the Homeland Security statement said. "Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots. The criminal illegal alien was not hit and attempted to flee on foot. He was successfully apprehended by law enforcement. The illegal alien was not injured, but a CBP officer was injured."
Details of the officers injury were not provided.
Along with several federal agents in tactical gear, sheriff's deputies, California Highway Patrol officers responded to the scene.
"This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming," DHS said.
