A month has passed since a Patterson man was shot 7 times by ICE. Here’s what to know
A Patterson man who was shot seven times by immigration agents during an April 7 traffic stop has pleaded not guilty after being indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of assaulting a federal officer and damaging federal property. Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, 36, faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count if convicted.
Sacramento Bee reporter Sharon Bernstein reported the plea Monday, the indictment Friday, and has covered the case extensively throughout the month.
Here is a summary of the case and what has happened since it occurred.
• The charges: A federal grand jury handed up two counts of assaulting a federal officer and one count of damaging federal property. Each assault count corresponds to a moment Mendoza Hernandez’s car lurched forward, about seven seconds apart.
• The traffic stop: ICE agents followed Mendoza Hernandez from his Patterson home and pulled over his Toyota C-HR near an Interstate 5 entrance. Agents said he refused to get out of the car, then broke his window and opened fire as the vehicle moved.
• The injuries: Mendoza Hernandez was shot in the mouth, the arm and the side of his torso. He was treated in the ICU at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto before being released to FBI custody April 13.
• Why ICE was pursuing him: Mendoza Hernandez, born in El Salvador, was in the U.S. without authorization. He lived in Patterson with his fiancee and a 2-year-old child.
• The defense response: Federal public defender Heather Williams said she was not surprised by the indictment because the defense cannot participate in grand jury proceedings. “The next phase of this case is when we hope Carlos’ full story will come out,” she said.
• Where he is now: Mendoza Hernandez is being held at the California City Detention Facility in Kern County. A magistrate judge ordered him released pending trial April 14, but that ruling was overturned April 21 by a U.S. district judge.
This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "A month has passed since a Patterson man was shot 7 times by ICE. Here’s what to know."