Patrick Kolasinski condemns the agents’ conduct as horrible training
Patrick KolasinskiAttorney for Carlos Iván Mendoza Hernández
Kolasinski said Mendoza Hernández tried to avoid the officers and condemned the agents’ training as horrible.
“He is doing everything he can to not run them over as they try their best to get in his way. If you look at that video and watch that video side by side with the Renee Good video, it’s the same training, and it’s horrible training. The California Highway Patrol does dangerous stops day in and day out. They don’t have this kind of issue.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Were federal immigration officers justified in shooting Carlos Iván Mendoza Hernández?
On April 7, 2026, federal immigration officers shot Carlos Iván Mendoza Hernández several times during a vehicle stop near Interstate 5 in Patterson, California. An FBI affidavit says the four-person team included three ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers and one Customs and Border Protection officer. It alleges Mendoza Hernández moved forward and struck an agent, reversed into a government truck, and then accelerated toward two agents, causing them to fire in response to an immediate threat. His attorney said agents fired while the car was stopped and that Mendoza Hernández fled the gunfire in panic. Public dashcam footage shows parts of the vehicle's movement but has no audio and does not establish when the shots were fired. Mendoza Hernández was later indicted on assault and property-damage charges, which remained unresolved as of September 22, 2026. The dispute is whether the vehicle posed an imminent threat when officers fired.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
The report presents the government’s justification, Kolasinski’s response and the available dashcam footage after the Patterson shooting.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Kolasinski responded to Lyons’s claim that Mendoza Hernández used his vehicle as a weapon.
After the quotation
He contrasted the operation with dangerous traffic stops conducted by the California Highway Patrol.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the officers’ decision to fire, Kolasinski expressly criticizes the conduct and training while arguing that Mendoza Hernández tried to avoid hitting officers.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
More from this case
Read the full caseDare to Struggle Bay Area calls the Mendoza shooting attempted murder
Dare to Struggle Bay Area
“ICE agents tried to murder Carlos Mendoza on April 7th by shooting him seven times. He has been unjustly charged with assault, put in detention, and moved from place to place without proper medical care.”Read statement
Carlos Mendoza Hernández denies intending to hurt the officers
“My intention was never to hurt them. (Translated from Spanish. Original: Mi intención nunca fue lastimarlos.)”Read statement
Bill Durston says the evidence does not support Lyons’s defense of the shooting
“I believe that the evidence that is publicly available at the time of this writing does not support Lyons’ claims. Instead, as has been the case in multiple other statements issued by Trump administration officials following shootings committed by ICE and Border Patrol officers, I believe that the available evidence strongly suggests that Todd Lyons is lying.”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Patrick Kolasinski condemns the agents’ conduct as horrible training
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- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/1469-kolasinski-said-mendoza-hern%C3%A1ndez-tried-to-avoid-the
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Patrick Kolasinski condemns the agents’ conduct as horrible training". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1469-kolasinski-said-mendoza-hern%C3%A1ndez-tried-to-avoid-the