ICE at hospital: Masked agents drag man from medical center in Brooklyn, New Yorkers and cops injured in pepper spray chaos
An investigation is underway Sunday after chaos erupted outside a hospital in Brooklyn late on Saturday night when masked ICE agents brought a man there after arresting him in an apparent enforcement operation.
Word of the man’s arrest and hospitalization quickly spread, bringing scores of protesters to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center on Saturday night just before 10 p.m. A number of protesters and several NYPD officers were injured after a law enforcement source said an ICE agent unleashed pepper spray on the crowd during the protest.
Meanwhile, the NYPD is facing questions about its participation in the incident after a photograph circulated online showing a masked ICE agent and an NYPD officer together with a detained man inside the hospital.
According to eyewitnesses and sources, it all began at the Bushwick hospital at around 9:43 p.m. on May 2. Patients at the facility were shocked to spot a detained man in handcuffs inside the hospital with armed and masked men, and images of the arrested man began circulating on social media.
It is believed that ICE agents had detained the individual during a previous immigration enforcement operation before transporting him for medical treatment. Sources say no patients inside the hospital were detained.
What was the NYPD role in Brooklyn ICE raid?
As the news spread of the detained man’s hospitalization, more than one hundred people showed up outside the hospital demanding answers. Just before 10:30 p.m. Saturday night, the NYPD arrived on the scene and, according to witnesses, cops became heavy-handed with the crowd.
“More than two dozen NYPD officers arrived in a show of force, and in an unsolicited act of aggression towards community defenders, they shoved people to the sidewalk, pepper-sprayed several community defenders, and arrested one person,” a person with direct knowledge of the incident told amNewYork.
The NYPD disputed this claim, however. The department told amNewYork that when cops arrived at the scene, they observed individuals “acting disorderly” and “obstructing vehicular traffic” while blocking emergency entrances and exits to the hospital.
A massive standoff occurred for the next several hours between police and the impromptu protesters. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell Police face-ff with protesters.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell A massive standoff occurred for the next several hours between police and the impromptu protesters.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Those who arrived outside the hospital say that a massive standoff occurred for the next several hours between police and the impromptu protesters until the early hours of the morning.
State Senator Julia Salazar weighed in on ‘X’, calling the number of NYPD officers on the scene “concerning.”
“ICE appears to have significantly increased its presence in Bushwick recently. If you see ICE, call or text the Hands Off NYC hotline: 229-304-8720. It’s also concerning that this many NYPD officers were deployed for what was clearly a justified gathering by local residents,” Salazar wrote.
Just after 2 a.m. on May 3, two ICE agents were spotted dragging a man in handcuffs along the pavement of the entrance plaza to Wyckoff Hospital, near the corner of DeKalb Avenue and Stockholm Street. They were also carrying a large canister of what appeared to be pepper spray.
“He came out pointing it at everyone,” one eyewitness told amNewYork, referring to one of the ICE agents involved. “They were dragging a Black man in handcuffs on the floor.”
Protesters attempted to block their path, prompting police to immediately push them back. Several clashes unfolded, resulting in nine arrests, police said. Meanwhile, the ICE agents pulled the detained man into the back of an SUV. The vehicle then sped through the crowd, knocking one person to the ground.
An NYPD spokesperson told amNewYork they believe the Feds released the pepper spray, adding that one sergeant and three officers were also injured from the substance and had to be treated at the hospital. The spokesperson charged that police categorically did not collaborate with immigration enforcement agents or receive prior notice of their activity; they were simply responding to the protest after receiving multiple 911 calls of a large group blocking entranceways to the building. New York’s sanctuary city laws, which prevent local law enforcement from working with ICE agents except in serious criminal cases.
New Yorkers attempt to stop an ICE vehicle as it speeds away.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell New Yorkers attempt to stop an ICE vehicle as it speeds away.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
However, those who witnessed the incident reported a different narrative. They claimed that police officers aided ICE inside the facility, and later provided ICE a police jack to change a flat tire.
A short time later, one protester who observed the aftermath said that NYPD officers were seen with the ICE agents aiding with the tire change on the Williamsburg Bridge. A law enforcement source challenged this claim by stating that cops received a 911 call of a disabled vehicle. Police from the 7th Precinct responded to the call and assisted in removing the ICE SUV from the area in order to stop traffic obstruction, the source said.
“This was the NYPD fully coordinating with ICE and enabling the kidnapping of a community member through initiating violent attacks on concerned community defenders,” one person said.
“So much for being a sanctuary city,” X user Alison Klemp/Fridson posted with videos of officers while tagging Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
amNewYork reached out to the mayor’s office for comment and is awaiting a response.
One woman has her eyes washed out with water after she was pepper sprayed.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell Officers from the 83rd Precinct clashed with residents of Bushwick outside of Wyckoff Hospital after an ICE sighting in the area on Saturday, May 3rd.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
