Patterson man shot by ICE was struck ‘at least a half a dozen times,’ lawyer says
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ICE shooting in Patterson
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Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez suffered at least six gunshot wounds and has had multiple surgeries, his lawyer said Thursday after visiting with his client, who is recovering at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto after being shot by ICE officers in Patterson on Tuesday morning.
ICE agents fired on Hernandez’s vehicle during a traffic stop made while he was on his way to work in the Bay Area. ICE officials said he was using his vehicle as a weapon while trying to flee, and they fired “defensive shots” at the vehicle.
Hernandez, through lawyer Patrick Kolasinski, said he denies ICE’s account and moved his SUV only after he was shot at.
A video shared by multiple media sources including The Bee, shows ICE agents surrounding the car, with one appearing to reach into the vehicle. Hernandez drives forward a matter of inches, then backs up and to the left, hitting the truck behind him and creating major damage to his passenger side door. Two agents then are seen at the front of Hernandez’s vehicle, which he drives forward and sharply to the left, crossing over a raised median into the opposing lanes.
There is no audio in the dashcam video, making it difficult if not impossible to tell when the first shot was fired.
Kolasinski said his client was trying to call his fiancee after agents ordered him to get out of the vehicle and he refused. That is when Kolasinski said his client was shot.
“He was just terrified,” Kolasinski said. “He tried to get away as anybody would.”
Kolasinski said Hernandez was shot in the face and arm. He is expected to move from the ICU to another floor of the hospital to recover.
His fiancee, Cindy, was able to speak with him Wednesday over the phone and see him Thursday morning.
Kolasinski previously had been blocked from seeing his client, but was provided access Wednesday. Federal agents told Kolasinski that Hernandez is not under arrest at this time.
Hernandez is a 36-year-old dual citizen of El Salvador and Mexico. His fiancee and daughter are both U.S. citizens.
ICE officials said Hernandez was a member of 18th Street Gang, which is most associated with Los Angeles. Hernandez said through his lawyer that he’s never lived in Los Angeles and has visited there only twice, and briefly. He and his family deny he is a member of it or any other gang.
ICE officials also said Hernandez was wanted for questioning in connection to a murder in El Salvador, but documents provided by the Salvadorian government show he was acquitted in 2019.
Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor ICE has provided documentation showing Hernandez is wanted for any crime in the United States, El Salvador or Mexico.
This story was originally published April 9, 2026 at 1:38 PM with the headline "Patterson man shot by ICE was struck ‘at least a half a dozen times,’ lawyer says."
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