Man struck, killed on freeway while fleeing immigration agents during Home Depot raid
The fatal incident unfolded Thursday morning in Monrovia, a city outside of Los Angeles, after police received reports of immigration agents approaching the Home Depot, Monrovia City Manager Dylan Feik told the Los Angeles Times.
A day laborer who frequents the location in search of work said to the newspaper that people there started yelling "Immigration, run!"
One man then fled the store on foot, jumped over a concrete wall and entered the eastbound lanes of the 210 Freeway, according to the Los Angeles Times. The newspaper reported that a few minutes later, Monrovia Fire & Rescue responded to a call of a vehicle striking a pedestrian. That individual was taken to a hospital and succumbed to his injuries.
The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital, "This individual was not being pursued by any DHS law enforcement."
"We do not know their legal status. We were not aware of this incident or notified by California Highway Patrol until hours after operations in the area had concluded," a spokesperson added.
Monrovia resident Karen Suarez told the Los Angeles Times that she went to the Home Depot and found the daughter of the man "visibly very upset."
"I feel so bad for her. I feel so bad for the families. These are people trying to escape whatever horrible atrocities they came from for a better life," Suarez added.
A crowd of about 50 people later gathered in front of the Home Depot last night, waiving Mexican flags and holding signs that said "ICE out of L.A.," the Los Angeles Times also reported.
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