FONTANTA, Calif. — A crowd of nearly 100 people gathered around undercover Fontana police officers after some in the neighborhood mistook a narcotics search warrant for an ICE operation, police said.
Officers were serving the warrant at a residence on Oct. 30 in Cudahy when people began recording them on their cellphones, according to KABC. Fontana police Sgt. Nathan Weiske told the station the officers identified themselves, said they were not there for immigration enforcement and showed proof of who they were, including Fontana police badges. He said the crowd kept yelling that they were ICE and grew more agitated.
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“During the service of that search warrant, at that residence for the narcotics, they were approached by a very hostile, agitated crowd. They identified themselves as Fontana police officers,” Weiske told KABC.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department later responded as the crowd grew. Police said multiple police vehicles were vandalized, including slashed tires.
Weiske said that crossed the line from peaceful protest into interfering with an investigation.
Fontana police do not take part in ICE operations, Weiske said, except in emergencies involving public safety. “We do not enforce immigration,” he said.
The sheriff’s department is investigating the vandalism and whether charges will be filed. No arrests had been made as of KABC’s report on Nov. 7.
