On a recent evening in the southeastern part of Los Angeles County, a crowd began to build as federal agents arrested at least three individuals at a local car wash in the town of Bell. Eyewitness reports also suggest similar activity at another car wash in the adjacent city of Maywood. The location where the initial detentions took place, Jack’s Car Wash and Detailing, can be found on Atlantic Avenue’s 7000 block, a little distance north of Florence Avenue.
Footage from a security camera captures a scene involving mask-clad men in olive vests, pursuing a car wash employee identifiable by his distinctive bright green uniform. In another part of the recording, an employee clothed in a white long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans and the same bright green cap as earlier, is seemingly crowded by the mask-wearing operatives. The recording captures the employee with his hands immobilized behind his back, abruptly brought down to the ground.
Witnesses and patrons of the car wash observed this event unfold, with some recording the incident on their mobile devices. The man in the white long-sleeved shirt, a car wash worker, is a U.S. citizen, as clarified later by Jesús Rafael Cervantes, the person’s brother. The arrested worker, who resides in Bell Gardens, is suggested to have acted in the defense of a co-worker, an action which according to Cervantes led agents to detain his brother.
The surrounding local community reacted to the incident with protests, staging these interventions in the region southeast of downtown Los Angeles. In one incident captured on film, a protester reacts by splattering white paint over a silver SUV. Voices of defiance can be heard in the background, and the vehicle appears to be subjected to physical blows.
Requests for comments from officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security went unattended. However, the Department did acknowledge that one of their vehicles was rammed and damaged along Atlantic Boulevard. Another event on Slauson Avenue saw a non-operational federal vehicle after an encounter with a civilian, as reported by the Department.
The demonstrations organized in the city of Bell, recognized for its large Latino and Lebanese population, reflect the ongoing actions by the federal government in its bid to identify and arrest undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles. Local people are disturbed and puzzled about the identity of the heavily armed individuals who arrive in plainclothes, their faces covered and refusing to present any identification.
Their choice of transportation raises concerns too, with the use of everyday vehicles bearing dark window tints and in some instances, out-of-state license plates. Increasingly, this mysterious group is leading to questions about their identity among locals. Along the Atlantic and Brompton avenues, crowds observe these agents, whom they see carrying heavy arms, clad in balaclavas, vests, and camouflage bottoms.
These agents could be seen standing near an ice cream parlor. A woman armed with a bullhorn took the opportunity to express her displeasure at the operatives and the current administration. Other members of the crowd displayed national symbols with one displaying a Mexican flag and another showing the U.S. flag hung upside down, which is usually seen as a sign of protest or distress.
“Cowards!” one woman yelled loudly. “Find a real battle to fight!” Another voiced her disapproval with a shouted, “Shame on you!” Among the armed individuals was one who had a U.S. flag on his vest, which prompted shout-outs from some of the onlookers.
Mayor Elizabeth Alcantar Loza of Cudahy stated that the atmosphere on Atlantic Avenue shifted when an unidentified silver SUV headed towards her and others nearby. This caused anger among the crowd, some of whom began to hit and throw objects at the moving vehicle. Another unmarked vehicle tried to repeat the gesture later, according to her.
Around 8 p.m., a gathering of peaceful protesters formed a group around Jack’s Car Wash in Bell. Drivers showed their support by honking their horns as they passed by. Some protesters held signs stating ‘ICE out of everywhere!!!’ and ‘Immigrants built this country’.
A separate immigration enforcement activity was witnessed at a car wash in Maywood the same day. Fernando Botello, 39, was caught amidst these developments while returning to Maywood after fetching his girlfriend’s 14-year-old son. Informed about suspicious activity suspected to be immigration enforcement, he was unable to drive away and instead chose to observe the scene from where he was.
Botello managed to film a video that pictured a masked individual armed and perched on the edge of an open door of a black SUV slowly cruising along a street near a park. In the footage, this individual can be seen to throw an object towards the crowd, followed by a loud sound as he re-enters the vehicle.
The post Unidentified Armed Agents Detained Car Wash Employees in Bell appeared first on Real News Now.
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