Illegal Alien from El Salvador Indicted: Two Counts of Assault on a Federal Officer with a Deadly Weapon and one count of Destruction of Government Property

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment Thursday against Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, 36, a national of El Salvador residing in Stanislaus County, charging him with two counts of assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon and one count of destruction of government property. According to court documents, on the morning of April 7, 2026, four federal immigration officers conducted an operation in the city of Patterson to locate and arrest Mendoza Hernandez because he is illegally present in the United States. Officers stopped Mendoza Hernandez near an onramp to Interstate 5 by activating their emergency lights. Mendoza Hernandez pulled over on the right shoulder. During the stop, Mendoza Hernandez identified himself and an agent informed Mendoza Hernandez that he was being detained and instructed him to step out of the vehicle. Despite repeated requests, Mendoza Hernandez kept his car running and did not comply with agent requests. Mendoza Hernandez eventually drove forward and hit an agent with his vehicle. Mendoza Hernandez then quickly shifted the vehicle in reverse and abruptly accelerated in a rapid backward motion. While in reverse, Mendoza Hernandez violently collided with the front of a law enforcement vehicle parked behind Mendoza Hernandez. After striking the front of the agents’ vehicle, Mendoza Hernandez’s vehicle then directly faced two of the agents assisting in the stop. After a brief pause, Mendoza Hernandez accelerated forward toward the agents. One of the agents was in the direct path of Mendoza Hernandez’s vehicle and jumped out of the way to avoid being hit. Mendoza Hernandez jumped the center median and drove the wrong way against traffic toward the freeway. He then crossed the median, stopping his car on the side of the road. During this incident, and in response to the vehicle’s movements, agents discharged their firearms at the vehicle and hit Mendoza Hernandez several times. Agents rendered medical aid at the scene and Mendoza Hernandez was transported to the hospital. After receiving medical treatment, Mendoza Hernandez was medically cleared and taken into FBI custody on Monday, April 13, 2026.