An elderly U.S. man who was body-slammed during an immigration raid at his Los Angeles car wash announced Thursday that he is filing a $50 million damages claim against the government.
Surveillance footage shows Rafie Shouhed being forcefully handled by several masked, heavily armed agents before being taken into custody, where he says he was held for nearly 12 hours without receiving medical attention.
“The way they treated me, the way they attacked me. I was begging them, ‘I have a heart condition,'” Shouhed told reporters.
Shouhed said he had stepped outside to speak with the agents to understand what was happening.
“They told me nothing. The only words they said: ‘You do not F with ICE,'” he said. Shouhed moved to the United States from Iran in the 1980s.
ICE refers to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
The raid at Shouhed’s car wash this month was part of President Donald Trump’s intensified campaign against undocumented migrants, aimed at fulfilling an election promise to deport millions.
The raids have sparked controversy, especially in multiethnic Los Angeles, partly because they seem to target people based on language or employment at businesses like car washes.
Video shows three masked agents pinning Shouhed to the ground, with one appearing to place a knee on his neck.
The 79-year-old said he repeatedly told agents, “I cannot breathe, I cannot breathe.”
Shouhed’s attorneys said their client’s pleas, including his recent heart surgery, were ignored.
“He was held nearly 12 hours without medical attention. Even after agents acknowledged he was a U.S. citizen, he remained in custody,” the claim states.
Shouhed, who had voted for Trump, was released without charge. Lawyers said he later required hospital treatment for broken ribs, serious elbow injuries, and a traumatic brain injury.
The damages claim is expected to precede a formal lawsuit.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told AFP that the September 9 raid resulted in the arrest of “five illegal aliens from Guatemala and Mexico who broke our nation’s immigration laws, including one who was removed from the country twice in 2015.”
“The owner of Valley Car Wash, a U.S. citizen, impeded the operation and was arrested for assaulting and impeding a federal officer,” the statement added.
Shouhed’s attorney, Jim Desimone, said surveillance video shows that his client had been cooperative.
“How many more people have to be seriously injured or die before we see a change in the way these ICE officers are… using brutal force first and asking questions later?” he said.
