Ontario man seeks $25 million

Carlos Jimenez is asking a federal court for $25 million to cover lost wages and medical bills after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot him in the back and right shoulder in October 2025. The father of three from Ontario, California, filed the lawsuit on Friday, claiming the government subjected him to malicious prosecution after the shooting.

The incident occurred around 7 a.m. on October 30, 2025, when Jimenez was driving to work at a food pantry. He passed an ICE operation and approached the agents slowly to warn them that children were arriving at a nearby bus stop. According to the complaint, an officer named Eusebio Ortiz pointed a gun at Jimenez’s face and threatened to shoot if he did not leave. Jimenez attempted a three-point turn because officers blocked his path, and Ortiz fired multiple shots into the car without warning.

The lawsuit states there was no officer in Jimenez’s path when he was hit and that no reasonable suspicion existed to stop or shoot him. Following the shooting, FBI agents followed Jimenez to the hospital where they allegedly interfered with his care. Agents pulled a nurse away and prevented him from speaking to staff. They removed him from his bed, locked him in a waist restraint, and drove him back to the scene for an interrogation while a bullet remained lodged in his body.

Jimenez’s legal team argues the criminal charges against him were fabricated. The Department of Justice had charged him with assault on a federal officer using a deadly weapon, claiming he accelerated in reverse. However, the criminal complaint lacked a statement from the officer saying he felt in danger, despite the Department of Homeland Security calling the shots defensive. The suit also alleges the FBI falsely claimed two neighbors witnessed Jimenez’s vehicle having room to pull forward. Both neighbors denied making those statements and said they only learned of the shooting from news reports.

In May, a judge ordered the government to produce records of agents’ text messages. Prosecutors subsequently agreed to a diversion agreement that would drop the charges at the end of October if Jimenez met certain conditions. The lawsuit suggests prosecutors sought this arrangement to avoid disclosing communications and deposing the FBI agent involved in the witness claims. The charges were formally dismissed last week.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson initially said Jimenez tried to run officers over. The department has since declined to comment, pointing to the Justice Department. Ciaran McEvoy, a Justice Department spokesperson in Los Angeles, noted in an email that Jimenez could have taken the case to trial but requested the diversion agreement.

Jimenez still has bullet fragments near his lung. His case follows that of Francisco Longoria, another Southern California man shot by ICE and later cleared of charges. The Justice Department in Los Angeles has prosecuted 113 people for alleged crimes against immigration officers since last spring. As of mid-September, 33 of those cases had charges dismissed and nine resulted in acquittals.