WOODLAND, Calif. —
A 37-year-old man was struck by a federal immigration vehicle Tuesday morning while documenting ICE activity, an incident captured on multiple videos and under investigation by Woodland police.
The collision occurred just after 9:30 a.m. on Clover Street near Locust Street. The man, identified as Antonio Moreida, sustained minor injuries.
“I heard the engine because it was smashing down the street, and that’s how I turned my focus from that to the vehicle, and just like that, they closed in on me,” Moreida said.
Video shared by the advocacy group NorCal Resist shows two unmarked SUVs passing each other. The camera follows one SUV as it drives away, showing its brake lights before it swerves to the left. The footage captures the moment Moreida, who is in the roadway, falls to the ground and rolls onto his back as the SUV continues driving.
Another angle from a home surveillance camera shows Moreida walking alongside and touching one of the SUVs before it drives out of frame. He then continues walking in the middle of the street, holding a GoPro camera. Moments later, another SUV enters the frame, its engine revving before it swerves and strikes Moreida with its right front side. The vehicle then drives away.
Moreida said he was at the scene to document the activity of ICE agents when the collision occurred.
“Definitely seemed to swerve into me rather than try to avoid me based off of where I was in the street,” he said.
Steve Hanes, a Woodland resident who witnessed the incident, described what he saw.
“He went right up to the car and was taking pictures on his phone. I guess they didn’t really like that because they said to step away, so he stepped away, he went down there, and then I heard a car accident, like skid marks, and some car hit the guy who was taking pictures here,” Hanes said.
Moreida explained that his GoPro camera served to document ICE activity and to record what happened in case something went wrong.
“Getting hit by a moving vehicle isn’t something you just brush off, so definitely feel sore and got my knees scraped up, my hands scraped up, you know that hit I took it to the chest, so once I fell, I rolled, the wind was knocked out of me,” he said.
Woodland police confirmed the collision involved a vehicle driven by federal immigration authorities. They stated that the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation but did not provide further details.
KCRA 3 reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment and has not yet heard back.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office said it could not comment at this time as the matter is under active investigation by Woodland police.
U.S. House Rep. Mike Thompson, who represents the Woodland area, issued the following statement.
“ICE cannot continue to terrorize our communities. I am in communication with local law enforcement, who have informed me that ICE was operating the vehicle in question and that an investigation is underway. No one is above the law. ICE’s actions have contributed to growing distrust and fear within our communities, making transparency and accountability all the more critical. Members of our community need to feel safe.”
Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry said on social media, “Our community deserves answers and accountability.”
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