Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents made an arrest Friday morning in downtown Santa Barbara after police say an ICE vehicle parked on East Carrillo Street was vandalized.
According to the Santa Barbara Police Department, agents allege that a man slashed one of the vehicle's tires.
After taking the man into custody, police say ICE agents drove the suspect and the disabled vehicle to the police station, where they transferred the man to another ICE vehicle and had a tow truck remove the damaged one.
Community members who had been filming the ICE activity reportedly followed them to the police station. Police say a parent of the man who was arrested also arrived, took video of the damage to the ICE vehicle, and was able to get information about where the man was being taken — reportedly to an ICE station.
The police department says it was not notified in advance that ICE would be conducting operations in the city, nor that ICE was en route to the police station after the arrest.
