Vendor Injured by Border Patrol Truck in Rialto; DHS Challenges Eyewitness Accounts
Vendor Struck by Border Patrol Vehicle in Rialto Incident
LOS ANGELES — A street vendor was struck by a Border Patrol vehicle in Rialto, leading to increased concern among witnesses. Security footage showed the vendor running through a parking lot while being pursued by a black pickup truck. As the vehicle passed by, the vendor appeared to be hit by the passenger-side mirror, causing him to fall to the ground.
Witnesses described the scene to FOX 11. "We were frightened for the gentleman that got hit because they didn’t even ask for his name, they just picked him up and took him in," said witness Sandra Garcia. Nearby dental clinic employees rushed outside upon hearing the commotion and later checked their security footage. "They hit somebody. They grabbed him, and they threw him in the car and they just took off," witness Hannah Sanchez recalled. Garcia expressed her concern about the vendor’s well-being, stating, "We don’t know where he’s at, what happened to him, we don’t have any information."
The Department of Homeland Security provided a different perspective, asserting that the vendor, an undocumented Guatemalan national, had fled and made contact with the truck’s mirror. In their statement, the agency explained, "Federal law enforcement officers used their training to pursue the target on foot and had a vehicle prepositioned to prevent the subject from absconding." According to Homeland Security, the man did not request medical attention before being taken into custody. His identity has not yet been disclosed.
This incident raises significant questions about both the interactions between law enforcement and the community, as well as the treatment of undocumented individuals during apprehensions.
