An immigration arrest attempt went wrong after a suspect made a split-second decision to flee

A targeted immigration enforcement operation in South Los Angeles went awry Wednesday morning, January 21, 2026. It left a Customs and Border Protection officer injured after a suspect attempted to escape arrest.

The incident came to light through NBC News, which reported that federal agents were attempting to arrest William Eduardo Moran Carballo near the unincorporated neighborhood of Willowbrook, along the border of Compton, shortly after 7:00 AM.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Carballo was identified as a violent criminal from El Salvador. He was the target of a planned immigration arrest when the confrontation escalated, and the chaotic scene drew reactions like those in recent news about federal agents seizing a reporter’s devices.

The suspect attempted to escape using his vehicle

When confronted by agents, Carballo attempted to flee in his vehicle rather than surrender. DHS said he used the car to ram law enforcement vehicles during the escape attempt, prompting a federal agent to fire shots. Despite the gunfire and collision, Carballo was not injured.

A CBP officer involved in the operation was injured during the incident. Officials have not disclosed the nature or severity of the injuries, stating only that further details were not immediately available, continuing a string of high-profile news on another immigrant dying in ICE custody.

DHS said Carballo was under a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge in 2019. The agency also alleged that he was involved in human smuggling and noted prior arrests for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene around 7:25 AM and found a damaged BMW sedan that had crashed into a curb with the driver’s side airbag deployed. During the response, bystanders gathered near police tape, and a livestream from the scene captured a man shouting for federal agents to leave the neighborhood.

The Department of Homeland Security said the situation remains under investigation and that additional information will be released as it becomes available.