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A grand jury indicted a Salvadoran national residing in the U.S. illegally on federal assault charges Thursday after he allegedly rammed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents with his car.
The federal grand jury returned the indictment for Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez on Thursday, levying two charges of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and one count of destruction of government property, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California announced Friday.
ICE agents shot Hernandez, a suspected gang member, in April after he allegedly refused to comply with law enforcement orders, according to authorities.
Agents, who were dispatched to Patterson, California, specifically to find Hernandez, located him and his vehicle on April 7 and pulled him over.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECTED OF GANG TIES ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY RAMMING ICE OFFICER
Authorities said Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez “weaponized” his vehicle during a traffic stop in California on April 7, 2026. (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California/GoFundMe)
“During the stop, Mendoza Hernandez identified himself and an agent informed Mendoza Hernandez that he was being detained and instructed him to step out of the vehicle. Despite repeated requests, Mendoza Hernandez kept his car running and did not comply with agent requests,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Hernandez allegedly drove forward and hit an agent with his vehicle, then “quickly shifted the vehicle in reverse and abruptly accelerated in a rapid backward motion, violently colliding with a law enforcement vehicle in the process,” according to federal prosecutors.
After the collision, Hernandez allegedly floored his vehicle toward two agents. One of them, who was in the direct path of the vehicle, jumped out of the way. Hernandez then drove over the center divider into oncoming traffic, federal prosecutors said.
As Hernandez’s vehicle accelerated forward, it was seen veering left across Sperry Avenue and over the center stone median into traffic heading in the opposite direction, prosecutors say.
ICE INVOLVED IN SHOOTING AFTER AGENCY SAYS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT GANG MEMBER TRIED TO RAM OFFICER
“During this incident, and in response to the vehicle’s movements, agents discharged their firearms at the vehicle and hit Mendoza Hernandez several times. Agents rendered medical aid at the scene and Mendoza Hernandez was transported to the hospital,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Law enforcement suspected Hernandez of belonging to the 18th Street Gang. He was also wanted in connection to a murder investigation, Fox News Digital previously reported.
After rapid reverse acceleration, Hernandez’s vehicle struck the front bumper area of the agent, prosecutors say. (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California)
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Hernandez’s family disputes the gang ties allegations and asserts he was cleared of connection to the alleged murder, Fox News Digital previously reported.
If convicted of the assault charges, Hernandez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. If convicted of the destruction charge, Hernandez faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, prosecutors said.
Fox News Digital contacted Hernandez’s attorney for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu contributed to this report.