Federal Judge Throws Out Indictment of TikToker Shot by ICE Agent

Carlitos Ricardo Parias—the TikTok streamer and immigration journalist who was shot by ICE in south Los Angeles this October—has had his indictment dropped by a federal judge.

U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olgin on Saturday dismissed the indictment on the grounds that Parias was not given access to counsel while in ICE detention, and the government did not abide by the court deadline to release the body cam footage from the shooting.

ICE initially claimed that Parias, who goes by Richard LA online, was pulled over using standard operating procedures. According to the affidavit, Parias ignored commands to exit his vehicle, hitting two law enforcement vehicles before “accelerating aggressively” with his car. But U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli directly contradicted the government’s argument by revealing the agents “boxed him in,” which is not considered standard procedure for a traffic stop.

CNN reported that an ICE officer confronted Parias and used his weapon to smash Parias’s window, according to a law enforcement source who spoke to the outlet. Authorities believe the agent’s weapon fired while he was attempting to grab Parias, striking Parias and ricocheting to hit a deputy marshal. Parias was then charged with assault.