79-year-old car wash owner Rafie Ollah Shouhed alleges he was ‘body slammed’ and injured by agents targeting undocumented immigrants; DHS claims he was impeding officers.
Rafie Ollah Shouhed, a 79-year-old U.S. citizen, has filed a $50 million federal tort claim against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), alleging he was severely injured by agents using “excessive force” during a raid at his Los Angeles car wash.
Shouhed claims he was thrown to the ground, resulting in multiple broken ribs, contusions, and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. The incident took place on September 9 while ICE agents were attempting to arrest five individuals from Guatemala and Mexico.
According to Shouhed’s claim, he approached the masked agents asking, “What can I do for you? Can I help you?” before he was allegedly slammed to the ground by three agents and briefly taken into custody. He was eventually released without being charged.
DHS released a statement saying Shouhed was initially arrested for “impeding” a federal officer during the operation.
“This was an outrageous and unlawful assault on a 79-year-old American citizen in his own place of business,” said V. James DeSimone, Shouhed’s attorney. He further claimed agents “body slammed Mr. Shouhed, pinned him to the ground with a knee on his neck, ignored his pleas for medical care, and left him broken and in pain for hours.”
DHS has six months to review the claim and either settle or deny it before a federal lawsuit can be formally filed.
This action comes as tensions between California state officials and federal agencies continue to escalate over immigration enforcement tactics. California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) recently signed a bill banning law enforcement officers from covering their faces, a measure he supported after stating masked ICE agents have been “terrorizing local communities.”
The Trump administration and DHS have already indicated they will not comply with the new state law.
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