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ICE and CBP agents body-slammed 79-year-old U.S. citizen car wash owner during Van Nuys raid, held him nearly 12 hours without medical care

Masked federal agents from ICE, CBP, and DHS raided Valley Car Wash in Van Nuys, Los Angeles on September 9, 2025, and, per surveillance video and the owner's account, body-slammed and restrained 79-year-old U.S. citizen Rafie Ollah Shouhed after he tried to show them his employees' work authorization. Shouhed was handcuffed and held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles for nearly 12 hours without medical attention despite pleading that he had a heart condition, then released without charges. He suffered broken ribs, elbow injuries, and post-concussive symptoms of a traumatic brain injury.

Jurisdiction
Federal
Location
Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California

Abuses documented

Actors

On the morning of September 9, 2025, masked federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Homeland Security stormed Valley Car Wash at 7530 Van Nuys Boulevard in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, during an immigration enforcement operation. Rafie Ollah Shouhed, the business's 79-year-old owner and a U.S. citizen, said he stepped forward to offer proof that his employees were authorized to work; surveillance video reviewed by local news shows an agent instead shoving him to the ground inside the business. Shouhed said he was then followed outside, cursed at, and body-slammed onto the pavement, where three agents restrained him, one with a knee to his neck, while he told them he had recently had heart surgery and could not breathe.

Shouhed was handcuffed and transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, where he was held for nearly 12 hours without medical attention despite agents confirming his citizenship, according to his account and his subsequent civil rights claim. He was released without charge and was treated at a hospital for multiple broken ribs, elbow injuries, and post-concussive symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. In a statement to CBS Los Angeles, CBP said the operation targeted five undocumented immigrants and that Shouhed was arrested for allegedly assaulting and impeding a federal officer; DHS and CBP have maintained that position. Five of Shouhed's employees were also detained during the raid, his family said.

Updates

2025-09-25 — Shouhed filed $50 million civil rights claim against DHS, CBP, and ICE [1, 2, 3]

Attorney V. James DeSimone filed a $50 million federal civil rights claim on Shouhed's behalf against DHS, CBP, Border Patrol, and ICE, alleging assault, battery, violation of California's Bane Act, deliberate indifference to a serious medical condition, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

2026-05-22 — Claim escalated into formal federal lawsuit [5, 6]

Shouhed's case advanced from the administrative claim to a formal federal civil rights lawsuit against ICE, CBP, and other federal agencies, with his attorney scheduling a press conference to announce the filing.

Why we recorded this

Due process and freedom from excessive force are core protections against arbitrary government violence. Here, federal immigration agents body-slammed and restrained a 79-year-old U.S. citizen without provocation, then held him nearly 12 hours in custody without medical care despite his pleas about a documented heart condition. This archive records when federal law enforcement uses force disproportionate to any threat and withholds basic medical attention from a person in its custody, regardless of citizenship or wrongdoing.

Sources

  1. Los Angeles car wash owner files civil rights claim against federal government over immigration arrest — CBS Los Angeles primary accessed July 6, 2026
  2. Van Nuys car wash owner files $50M claim over injuries sustained during immigration raid — KABC/ABC7 Los Angeles primary accessed July 6, 2026
  3. 79-year-old US citizen claims ICE agents body-slammed him at his business, seeks $50M — ABC News primary accessed July 6, 2026
  4. US citizen injured during LA immigration raid files $50 million claim — The Hill secondary accessed July 6, 2026
  5. 79-year-old U.S. citizen files $50 million civil rights claim after Van Nuys car wash ICE raid — KTLA primary accessed July 6, 2026
  6. 80-Year-Old Sues ICE for $50M: Alleged Assault & Unlawful Detention — Davis Vanguard secondary accessed July 6, 2026

See also