ICE Officer Fired at Fleeing SUV in Harrisburg — Video Contradicts Agency Account

In the early morning of July 1, 2026, federal immigration officers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pulled over a white SUV. An unmarked Immigration and Customs Enforcement car stopped in front of the SUV to block its path, while other law enforcement vehicles parked behind it, according to surveillance video obtained by CNN affiliate WGAL.

"Get out of the car now," one officer said after he approached the driver's side. When the driver did not emerge after officers repeatedly ordered him out of the SUV, an officer shattered the window. The SUV then drove away, appearing to clip the ICE vehicle stopped in front of it before turning the wrong way down a one-way street. One ICE officer fired his gun as the SUV drove away from the officers and hit a parked car.

In a statement, an ICE spokesperson said the driver — identified as Clemente Lara-Hernandez, a Mexican national with a criminal history of assault, hit-and-run, and a domestic incident — had "weaponized his car and rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle." An ICE officer discharged his weapon, and the driver escaped, the statement said.

What the Video Shows

According to the surveillance footage, the stop unfolded in seconds. Officers blocked the SUV front and back, but the positioning left enough space for the driver to maneuver around the front vehicle. When the driver refused to exit, an officer broke the window. The SUV then accelerated, clipped the blocking vehicle, and fled down a one-way street in the wrong direction.

The officer fired as the vehicle drove away from him. Kenneth Corey, former chief of department for the New York Police Department, said the footage clearly demonstrates poor tactics. "He takes a little sideswipe damage, but he doesn't ram his way out of that, by any means," Corey said.

Corey noted that the officers missed multiple opportunities to conduct the car stop more safely, likely due to inexperience handling such situations.

A Pattern of ICE Vehicle Stop Shootings

The Harrisburg incident occurred days before an ICE agent fatally shot a 52-year-old man during a car stop in Houston. Less than a week later, another ICE agent killed a 25-year-old man during a vehicle stop in Maine. Neither victim was the intended target of the immigration enforcement operations.

Corey noted the officer in Harrisburg fired his weapon as the car was already driving away from the federal officers. "If you're saying that the officers are firing because the car was trying to run them over, then they'd be firing at the car as it was heading towards them, not speeding away from them," he said.

Following the shooting in Maine, the agency issued a pause on most vehicle stops conducted by ICE agents, which was swiftly overturned by President Donald Trump, who has made mass deportations a cornerstone of his second term.

Timeline of Incidents

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in the ICE Harrisburg incident? Officers attempted to stop a white SUV. When the driver refused to exit, an officer shattered the window. The driver fled and an officer fired as the vehicle drove away.

Why did experts criticize the tactics? The blocking vehicle was poorly positioned and ineffective, and officers missed safer options.

Who was the driver? Clemente Lara-Hernandez, a Mexican national with a criminal history. He remains at large.

Has ICE changed policy? ICE paused most vehicle stops after the Maine shooting, but Trump overturned the pause.

What do critics say about training? Corey says agents lack real-world practice, forcing them to improvise.