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Reports say federal agents detaining people at a bus stop near Winchell’s Donut House in Pasadena have angered among elected officials in Los Angeles County.
In a video posted on social media, Rep. Judy Chew (D Monterry Park) said six Pasadena residents were taken into custody Wednesday morning. Chu said the detainees were rejected by the Department of Homeland Security seeking information on the conditions under which they were detained.
“We have the right to know what’s going on with them,” Chu said.
Chu also expressed disappointment that an unidentified agent pointed a gun at a man trying to video the license plate. The incident was caught up in video by an eyewitness.
“The Ice Agent jumped out of the car and pointed the gun pointed it as if he was going to shoot a young man just to film a video of that license plate,” Chu said. “That’s outrageous.”
The video aired on KABC-TV Channel 7 shows a man sitting on a bus bench in custody and another video showing a man in a hat and a black vest appearing from the car, drawing a weapon on another man and pointing to him. One witness told KABC that three of the six people detained were seniors.
In a Chew social media post featuring video shot by eyewitnesses near the corner of Los Robles Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard, the lawmaker wrote:
“These attacks in my district are absolutely sleazy. They are covered and armed like militias. They are terrorizing their families and destroying the safety of our community. This is not law enforcement, it is a serious abuse of power, and I do not support it,” Chu writes.
State Sen. Sasha Rene Perez (D-Alhambra), a district that includes Pasadena, said he received a report from a witness who said, “When I asked a masked man to see his identity, one of the men stepped on an unmarked vehicle and cocked his rifle at members of the masses.”
Los Angeles County Superintendent Janice Hahn said Wednesday that federal agents were “terrifying people” in these sweeps.
“We’ve already seen our kids not going to school. We’ve seen people avoid shopping, avoiding church, and go to work,” Hearn said in a statement. “After people have read about this incident, it’s not surprising to see more people avoiding the subway. This is not true. The fear they are spreading is causing deep harm in our community.”
Hahn, who also chairs the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Department, said he instructed Metro staff about agency protocols if immigrants board buses or trains. “We know that options are limited,” she said.
Chew tried to put the Federal Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles into the facility and decided on the conditions under which people were detained, but she said she was rejected.
A peaceful rally was held Wednesday night at the corner of Los Robless Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard, reported by KTTV-TV Channel 11. One of the detained people was heading for work to “do the fire recovery work” in the area destroyed by the Eton fire in Altadena, the news outlet reported.
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