Man Killed While Fleeing ICE Raid By Running Onto LA County Freeway

MONROVIA, CA — A man believed to have been fleeing an immigration enforcement operation at a Home Depot was struck and killed on the 210 Freeway after he ran onto the interstate.

A Monrovia police officer at around 9:45 a.m. observed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents approaching the Home Depot on Mountain Avenue, just off the 210, where they conduced enforcement activities, according to a statement from City Manager Dylan Feik.

"During the ICE activity, one person fled on foot, crossing Evergreen Avenue and entered onto the eastbound 210 Freeway," Feik wrote.

Monrovia Fire & Rescue at 9:52 a.m. responded to a call regarding a vehicle that had struck a pedestrian. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he later died, according to the city manager.

Feik's statement Thursday afternoon revealed more information about the collision that prompted the closure of three eastbound lanes in the morning.

According to the earlier Sigalert, motorists had reported someone was on the freeway yelling at passing cars prior to being struck. The Sigalert indicated the collision occurred in the carpool lane.

"There is no ongoing ICE activity reported in Monrovia at this time, and the City has not received any communication or information from ICE," he wrote. "While we understand community members want to know more about the incident, the information provided in this update is all the city has to provide at this time."

Protesters staged a rally on Thursday to express outrage over the death and to call for an end to the continued immigration enforcement raids taking place in and around Los Angeles.

On Thursday, state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Pasadena, issued a statement decrying the raids and referenced the death, which was in her district.

"President Trump's terror campaign has taken another life," she said. "There is such incredible fear in our immigrant communities, so much so that people will run into freeway traffic out of fear when all they want is a chance to support their family and seek the American Dream."

Pérez has called for an end to what she described as violent and sweeping.

"The Trump Administration is violating a federal court order by continuing to conduct deadly roving immigration raids within the area of the U.S. District Court's Central District of California that includes Los Angeles County," she stated. "These raids have been ruled to be illegal racial profiling by a federal judge and the Trump Administration has been ordered to comply with a temporary restraining order."

Pérez has been an advocate for comprehensive immigration law reform.

"How many more brown-skinned people have to die before the president will obey the law?" she asked. "There is a better way. Comprehensive immigration reform that both parties work on is the only solution. I renew my call to pursue this path and stop the terror."

The CHP is continuing its investigation into the circumstances surrounding how and why the pedestrian was on the freeway, according to a CHP statement. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Officer J. Rosas, during business hours, at 626-517-8500.

City News Service contributed to this report.