Immigration agent shoots man, ricochet bullet hits US Marshal in CA, feds say
A federal immigration agent opened fire on a man accused of evading arrest, shooting him and a deputy U.S. Marshal in Los Angeles, prosecutors said.
The man, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, 44, of South Los Angeles, and the U.S. Marshal who officials said was hit by the agents’ gunfire on Oct. 21, are expected to survive, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The U.S. Marshal was struck by a ricochet bullet.
The federal agent shot at Parias after prosecutors said he hit law enforcement vehicles with his car as agents tried to stop and arrest him during an immigration operation that morning.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said he is a Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally.
“Parias rammed his car into agents’ vehicles after they boxed him in and ordered him to submit to arrest,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement shared to X.
Essayli added that Parias “had previously avoided capture by immigration authorities, refused to comply with agents’ orders and escalated what could have been a simple arrest into a life-threatening situation.”
A criminal complaint charges Parias with assault on a federal officer.
Parias is represented by attorney Carlos Jurado, who did not immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment Oct. 22.
Jurado told KTLA that Parias is a “pacifist” who is known by local law enforcement.
“They know he’s very respectful,” Jurado said while speaking with the TV station. “In fact, the city of Los Angeles has awarded him for the work that he does in the community.”
Parias was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by Los Angeles Councilmember Curren Price’s office in August in connection with his efforts to inform the South Los Angeles community about ICE raids, according to KTLA.
Witnesses at the scene of the shooting Oct. 21 told news outlets that Parias is a TikToker who goes by Richard LA on the platform. His account has more than 133,000 followers on TikTok.
In a statement shared to Instagram on Oct. 21, Price wrote that he and his team are “deeply saddened” by the shooting and Parias’ detention.
“Richard is a pillar of our community, a fearless citizen journalist whose authentic storytelling has consistently uplifted the unheard voices of South Central Los Angeles,” Price said. “His unfiltered portrayal of real life has fostered a loyal following, both on TikTok and throughout our City.”
Immigration agents had been surveilling Parias on Oct. 21, when they followed him after prosecutors said they saw him leave a home and get into his car in South Los Angeles.
The agents followed Parais in their vehicles, “then drove and positioned a vehicle to prevent Parias from driving further east,” prosecutors said.
Parias is accused of reversing his car upon recognizing them as law enforcement.
In response, two other law enforcement vehicles went to block Parias’ vehicle, leaving him boxed in, according to prosecutors.
Afterward, agents approached Parias and ordered him to get out of his car, prosecutors said, but he “ignored those commands and drove the Camry both forward and back, hitting two of the law enforcement vehicles.”
One agent then tried to break Parias’ driver’s side window, leading to Parias driving forward toward a law enforcement vehicle, according to prosecutors, who said this caused plumes of smoke to form from his tires and sent debris into the air, hitting some agents.
Parias caused “agents to worry for their safety,” Essayli said.
Then one agent shot at him, according to prosecutors.
Parias is due in court for his first appearance on Oct. 22, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 8:25 AM with the headline "Immigration agent shoots man, ricochet bullet hits US Marshal in CA, feds say."
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