Local authorities were deployed to Willowbrook on Wednesday morning after a car crash and shooting took place during an operation led by federal immigration agents, authorities said.
Following reports of a shooting involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to assist with traffic control around the incident perimeter around 7:30 a.m., according to department spokesperson Nicole Nishida. Additional information on the operation was not immediately available, and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
California Highway Patrol officers responded to a car crash in the area of 126th Street and Mona Boulevard in the South L.A. community shortly after 7 a.m., according to department spokesperson Sgt. Daniel Keene. The driver had already been taken into custody by federal agents by the time CHP personnel arrived on scene, he said.
On Wednesday morning, a silver BMW with a smashed-in black hood sat at the end of the driveway of a green stucco house on 126th Street. Witnesses told ABC7 that the car was being pursued by federal agents when the driver crashed on the residential street.
“It’s just scary, you know, we have a school that’s just a few hundred yards away,” a local resident identified only as Andrew told the station. “You’ve got kids that are here, kids that are fearful for their parents to get taken away. It’s very alarming.”
By 9:30 a.m., a crowd of more than 30 people had gathered near the police tape closing off the street where several federal agents stood, some dressed in plainclothes and others in tactical gear with masks.
One woman shouted, “Let’s see your ugly face,” while another person driving by slowed down to yell, “F— you,” out the window.
Residents who wandered out of their homes and a nearby apartment complex stood in their yards recording the agents with their cellphones. One man with a bullhorn cursed at immigration agents at the intersection, while another person waved the Mexican flag.
Andrew told ABC7 he posted about the incident on social media.
“A lot of us have immigrant parents, so we’re just trying to be aware of our surroundings,” he said.
Among those who came to the intersection was Joanna Cristobal, 30, who said she woke up and learned about the incident on TikTok.
“I feel like I want to cry,” she said, gazing at the agents. “I hate to see them taking our people. I want them out of here.”
The gathered crowd chanted, “Whose street? Our street.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.