US Citizen Shot by ICE Officer Files $25 Million Lawsuit Against Federal Government
A US citizen shot by an officer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency that enforces immigration law, has filed a $25 million lawsuit against the federal government. Carlos Jimenez, a father of three from Ontario, California, filed a 54-page complaint on November 6, according to Newsweek. The complaint alleges he was wrongfully shot and arrested and subjected to malicious prosecution.
The shooting took place on October 30, 2025, at around 7 a.m., as Jimenez was on his way to work at a food pantry. According to the Guardian, Jimenez approached ICE officers who were carrying out an operation to warn them that children would soon arrive at an adjacent bus stop. The complaint identifies the officer who fired as Eusebio Ortiz.
The lawsuit alleges that Ortiz pointed his firearm at Jimenez's face, cursed at him and threatened to shoot if he did not leave. It says Ortiz then fired multiple shots into Jimenez's car, hitting him in the back and right shoulder, and that no officer was in Jimenez's path when he was shot.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said Jimenez attempted to run officers over by reversing directly at them, and that the officer fired defensive shots. Federal prosecutors alleged in a criminal complaint that Jimenez engaged in a verbal altercation with officers before pulling his vehicle forward. Jimenez's lawyer has said that an agent pulled out pepper spray before Jimenez maneuvered his vehicle to get around and was shot, according to ABC News.
The Department of Justice charged Jimenez with assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon. In May, a judge ordered the government to produce records of agents' communications after Jimenez's defense sought officers' text messages. Prosecutors had earlier agreed to resolve the case through diversion, an arrangement in which charges can be dropped if a defendant meets set conditions, with charges to be dropped at the end of October if he met them.
In early November, U.S. District Judge Kenly Kiya Kato in Riverside approved a motion from the U.S. Attorney's Office to dismiss the federal assault charge against him, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
The complaint also alleges that FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) agents followed Jimenez to a hospital and interfered with his medical care. It further alleges that agents removed him from his hospital bed in a waist restraint and drove him back to the shooting scene for interrogation while a bullet remained lodged in his body. It alleges that federal agents relied on fabricated evidence.
Jimenez still has bullet fragments lodged near his lung. The lawsuit seeks damages for lost wages and medical expenses.
