A federal immigration agent was hit by a vehicle and fired his weapon while attempting an arrest in New Jersey, police said.
Authorities said the gunfire may have struck the vehicle as it fled.
“The agent reportedly sustained unknown injuries,” police said, adding that it was unknown whether the motorist was hurt. “There is no reason to believe there is any concern for the public’s safety.”
Images posted online showed the injured agent being treated before being taken away on a stretcher.
The incident occurred on Route 72 in Stafford Township’s Manahawkin community, roughly 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) east of Philadelphia.
According to Stafford Township Police, officers received a call at 9:30 a.m. Monday about the incident and were told that federal immigration officials were attempting to detain an individual.
The suspect’s whereabouts are currently unknown, and it is unclear whether the suspect is injured.
Stafford Township Police said they comply with the Attorney General’s Immigrant Trust Directive and were not involved in, or assisting with, the ICE operation. They added that the investigation is being handled by another agency and is not being conducted by the township police. Their role, officials said, is limited to traffic control and securing the scene.
There is no universal training standard for law enforcement to shoot at a moving vehicle. But most police departments and federal guidance bar shooting unless the driver poses an imminent threat of deadly force beyond the car itself.
In Senatobia, Mississippi, a child died Sunday when a police officer responding to a shoplifting call at a Walmart fired at a moving vehicle. As police tried to stop the vehicle, the driver almost hit an officer, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
An ICE agent in Minneapolis fatally shot Renee Good, a U.S. citizen, in January. The government said the agent’s safety was at risk, but video showed Good had turned the front wheels and was driving away from him after blocking a street with her SUV.
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