Attorney Claims Man Shot by ICE in Stanislaus County Not Gang Member An attorney representing Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, a man shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during an arrest in Stanislaus County, California, has publicly disputed claims that his client is a gang member or possesses an outstanding arrest warrant in El Salvador. Patrick Kolasinski, Mendoza’s attorney, stated during a news conference that his client has no criminal record in the United States and was not subject to an arrest warrant in El Salvador, where he was acquitted of murder in 2019. Kolasinski emphasized that the allegations against Mendoza are either incorrect or fabricated, asserting that only the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has access to the evidence supporting these claims. According to DHS, ICE agents fired defensive shots at Mendoza after he attempted to drive into them during an enforcement stop in Patterson, California. The agency described Mendoza, 36, as a suspected gang member wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection to a murder. However, Kolasinski refuted these claims, citing a court document from October 25, 2019, which details Mendoza’s acquittal in a murder case. The document, issued by a judge in El Salvador, states that Mendoza, then 29, was cleared of murder charges and immediately released. It also notes that 10 other individuals involved in the case were convicted of crimes ranging from aggravated robbery to murder, with at least one identified as a member of the 18th Street Gang. Notably, the document contains no mention of Mendoza’s gang affiliation or involvement in gang-related activities. Kolasinski further clarified that Mendoza has only been stopped for minor traffic infractions in the U.S.#el_salvador #attorney_patrick_kolasinski #us_immigration_and_customs_enforcement #carlos_ivan_mendoza_hernandez #stanislaus_county
