By admin 
Rep. Mike Thompson demanded that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials “fully cooperate” with local investigators probing Tuesday’s collision involving a federal immigration enforcement agent and an observer in Woodland during a news conference Wednesday in the city.
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“The bottom line is that nobody is above the law,” said Thompson, D-St. Helena, who demanded that “any individuals found to have engaged in misconduct or unlawful behavior, are held fully accountable.”
“ICE has a history of bad behavior and it can’t continue to terrorize our communities,” Thompson said, condemning the collision near College and Clover streets and saying the encounter took the community “frighteningly by surprise.”
“We sat horrified as we watched two U.S. citizens killed,” Thompson said, referencing the deadly shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. “Yesterday, it came closer to home. This is just plain dangerous, and it’s totally unacceptable.”
Thompson’s news conference at Heritage Plaza in downtown Woodland came hours after federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials denied that the Woodland observer, Antonio Moreida, had been struck by the unmarked ICE vehicle.
ICE officials called Moreida an “agitator” who jumped onto the hood of the agent’s vehicle in a statement released Wednesday, suggesting he staged the collision.
“Flopping for the camera is dangerous, especially when it interferes with a federal law enforcement operation,” the spokesperson said. “Anybody who lays a hand on our officers or tries to obstruct them is committing a felony and a federal crime.”
Thompson said he has talked with Woodland police and the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, thanking both agencies and saying he was “confident they’re taking things seriously.”
Thompson also said he had contacted acting ICE Director David Venturella to “directly demand we have answers to our questions.”
Woodland Police Chief Ryan Kinnan said his department was examining the actions of both the pedestrian and the unnamed ICE driver to establish what happened and would send its findings to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office. The police department said it did not participate in the immigration operation and does not assist with civil immigration enforcement under California law.
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Kinnan said in a statement that he had viewed video of the collision, calling it “very troubling.”
“I understand why people in our community are upset and worried,” Kinnan said in the statement posted to social media. “Our responsibility is to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation to establish the facts. We recognize the concerns surrounding federal law enforcement activity in Woodland, and the safety and well-being of our community members remain a priority.”
Moreida was struck Tuesday morning near Clover and College streets while recording federal immigration enforcement activity in a residential neighborhood, according to Woodland police and video footage of the incident.
Video shared by NorCal Resist showed Moreida standing in the street recording an approaching SUV when its front-right corner appeared to strike him, knocking him to the pavement. The vehicle continued down the street.
Moreida also alleged that another vehicle involved in the immigration operation appeared outside his home later that day, while he was receiving treatment at a hospital.
It was not independently established why the second vehicle was in the area or whether federal agents were attempting to contact Moreida or his family.
The unnamed ICE agent contacted Woodland police after the collision, according to the federal agency. Woodland police also said Tuesday that the agent driving the Chevrolet Tahoe immediately notified dispatch and cooperated with local investigators.
“Our community cannot be divided. It cannot be terrorized. It cannot have chaos injected,” Thompson said. “We trust law enforcement — that’s how it’s supposed to be — and what they’ve done is caused an erosion in that trust. That is a major problem.”
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