USAupdated 1h ago3 min read
MapMasked ICE Agents Point Handgun At North Hollywood Bystander During Arrest Outside Ivy at NOHO
“It's unclear what the object was.”
“pulled out a handgun and pointed it just inches from the face of a bystander”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Masked ICE agents arrested a man outside the Ivy at NOHO in North Hollywood. A bystander walking dogs was threatened as a handgun was pointed at his face.
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North Hollywood arrest video
Masked ICE agents violently arrested a man in North Hollywood on Friday morning outside the Ivy at NOHO apartments on Otsego Street, and the video shows the man handcuffed as agents drag him to a vehicle. Damari Butler, a witness who posted and filmed the confrontation, said, "He draws his gun and puts it right in the guy's face," describing the moment an agent pointed a handgun at a bystander. The incident occurred at around 8:30 a.m. near the intersection of Vineland Place and Otsego Street, and the agents wore vests that said "ICE Police" while dragging the detained man toward an unmarked SUV.
The bystander, who was walking two dogs, tossed an item after agents rushed toward him, and the video shows an agent holding what witnesses said was pepper spray as the bystander ran down the street. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for information, and ABC7 Los Angeles reported that the family of the man arrested identified him as 27-year-old Angel Luis Gonzalez Lobo from Venezuela.
Mayor and witnesses react
Damari Butler said the scene escalated into a tense standoff in the bushes, and he described the moment as, "At that point, I'm going to be honest with you, I thought that was the end for him."
Nancy, a neighbor, said she felt scared for the man being dragged and for herself and her son, telling reporters, "I just didn't feel safe walking outside my apartment building."
Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement after the video gained traction, and she said, "This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in LA."
Bass also said she was engaging the Attorney General's Office to investigate and prosecute any wrongdoing by federal agents, and she referred the matter to the Office of U.S. Representative Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat leading oversight on federal immigration enforcement abuses.
Congresswoman Luz Rivas called the video "horrifying," and she said, "ICE is violating the fundamental rights and safety of individuals across the San Fernando Valley to carry out Donald Trump's anti-immigrant agenda."
Accountability and legal backdrop
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was engaging the Attorney General's Office to investigate and prosecute any wrongdoing by federal agents, and she added that she referred the matter to the Office of U.S. Representative Robert Garcia.
Nithya Raman wrote on social media that, "LA is not a playground for the Trump regime's inhumane operations, and Angelenos should not have to live in fear of going to work, taking their kids to school, or living their life," as the video circulated.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the bystander was not detained or taken into custody during the incident, while a person who appeared to be a masked federal agent shoved the man into bushes and pointed a handgun at his face after the bystander tossed a spray canister into the street.
The Los Angeles Times also said the encounter occurred a day after a federal judge barred agents in Southern California from stopping people based on racial stereotypes, and found that immigration officials had stopped and detained people because they appeared Latino.
University of South Carolina law professor Seth Stoughton said the agent’s reaction to the bystander was inappropriate, adding, "I can understand agents not wanting a bystander to have a canister of pepper spray, but at the point the agent pointed his weapon at the guy, he's tossed it quite a distance," as residents said they were left rattled.