Officer Video Raises Questions About ICE Shooting of TikTok Streamer

For more than two months, federal authorities have maintained that immigration officers opened fire on a TikTok streamer in South Los Angeles out of fear for their safety and that of the public.

Department of Homeland Security officials accused Carlitos Ricardo Parias of weaponizing his car and ramming a law enforcement vehicle in an attempt to flee an immigration operation in October. Officers “followed their training and fired defensive shots,” a Homeland Security spokesperson said shortly afterward.

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After the Oct. 21 shooting, prosecutors charged Parias, who authorities say is living in the country illegally, with assault on a federal officer. On Saturday, U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin dismissed the case against Parias, finding that he had been denied access to counsel while in immigration detention.

In his order, the judge also cited the government’s failure to comply with discovery deadlines — including the timely release of the body-worn camera footage that captured the shooting. The judge dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning prosecutors cannot refile the same charges.

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Although the criminal charges against him have been dismissed, Parias could remain in ICE detention as his immigration case proceeds.

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Federal authorities sought to arrest Parias on Oct. 21 on an administrative arrest warrant in conjunction with a federal immigration proceeding, according to a criminal complaint filed against him.

An official with the Department of Homeland Security accused Parias of having “previously escaped from custody,” although video obtained by The Times appears to show the federal agents letting him go during a June incident.

In October, Parias was leaving his home and driving down the street when federal agents — including from ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service — used their vehicles to box him in, according to the criminal complaint.

Body-worn camera footage captures the ICE officer approaching Parias’ passenger side door and almost immediately stating that he’s going to “break the window.” As the officer smashes the window, the car begins to rev, later sending smoke billowing into the air. The officer pulls out his gun soon afterward, holding it in one hand as he smashes the window at the same time with the other.

The complaint alleged that when the rear of the car began to “fishtail,” it “caused the agents to fear that PARIAS may lose control of the Camry and hit them.” A Homeland Security Investigations agent wrote that Parias’ acceleration of the Camry “caused debris (likely rubber being shed from the tires themselves) to fly into the air, which struck some of the agents.”

“Bajate, te vamos a disparar,” the ICE officer warns in the video. “Get out, we’re going to shoot you.”

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Although a federal judge later ordered Parias released on bond, once he was released from the custody of the U.S. marshals, he was immediately transferred to ICE custody on Nov. 24, pursuant to a detainer. He’s being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County.

Olguin wrote in his order that “the government’s decision to administratively detain Mr. Parias in Adelanto is when and where the constitutional violations began in this case.”

By placing Parias in immigration detention, Olguin wrote, the government “has jeopardized this court’s ability to try Mr. Parias in compliance with the demands of the Sixth Amendment” — which provides for a fair and speedy trial.

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