ICE agent points handgun at North Hollywood bystander's face in video

A federal immigration agent pointed a handgun inches from a bystander's face during a morning operation in North Hollywood on Friday, according to video and witness accounts. The encounter took place near the intersection of Vineland Place and Otsego Street shortly before 8:30 a.m.

Damari Butler, a resident of the area, watched from his balcony as two masked men tackled a pedestrian on the sidewalk. Butler said the agents appeared to be from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He began recording after seeing the man tossed into nearby bushes without a clear warning.

"There was no asking what his name was, no ID, nothing," Butler said. "They just grabbed him."

The video shows a man walking two dogs on leashes standing near the scene. A second agent in tactical gear marked "ICE Police" approached the dog owner and gestured for him to move back. The agent held a canister, which witnesses identified as pepper spray, aimed toward the man.

While the agents handcuffed the pedestrian, one of them dropped the canister on the sidewalk. The bystander with the dogs moved toward the object and tossed it into the street. A masked agent ran toward him, and the confrontation lasted only a moment as the bystander stepped back.

The agent who had been detaining the pedestrian then drew a firearm with his right hand. He walked toward the bystander, extended his left arm, and shoved the man into the bushes. The agent leaned over the bystander, holding the gun just inches from his face before stepping back to reholster the weapon.

The agent yelled at the bystander and walked back to an SUV while another agent retrieved the canister from the street. The detained man lay on the street yelling for help in Spanish. More agents arrived and placed the detained man into the back of the vehicle. As the bystander and a second witness looked on, an agent sprayed the bystander with the canister. The bystander was seen running away from the scene.

The incident occurred the day after a federal judge barred agents in Southern California from stopping people based on racial stereotypes. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ron Gochez of Union del Barrio said the group has received several videos of the event.