A 79-year-old Los Angeles businessman has filed a $50 million claim against the federal government, alleging he was violently assaulted and wrongfully detained by immigration agents during a raid at his Van Nuys car wash earlier this month.Rafie Ollah Shouhed, the owner of the car wash, suffered broken ribs, elbow injuries and a traumatic brain injury after being “body-slammed” to the ground by masked federal officers on 9 September, according to a tort claim filed by his lawyers.
He is seeking damages from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the US Border Patrol.Surveillance footage shows an agent detaining a man in the car park when Shouhed approached. The claim alleges that agents cursed at him, before slamming him onto the pavement.Three officers are accused of pinning him down, with one placing a knee on his neck. As per The Guardian, Shouhed said he had recently undergone heart surgery and attempted to show documents proving his employees were legally authorised to work.“I was begging them,” Shouhed said at a press conference. “Three big people were sitting on my back, the way they tore me down… I have a heart condition.” He recalled telling the officers, “If there is anything I can do for you, let me help you. I have papers for these guys.” According to the claim, an agent responded: “You don’t f*** with ICE. We are here.” In an interview with NBC4 Los Angeles, Shouhed expressed shock over the incident, saying, “I thought this was a nice country, a good country. Why do they do this kind of thing to you?”Shouhed, a US citizen, was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. Despite being identified as a citizen soon after, he was allegedly held for nearly 12 hours without medical care. After his release, he was treated at a hospital for multiple injuries, including post-concussive symptoms of a traumatic brain injury.His attorney, V. James DeSimone, told reporters that agents ignored his pleas about recent heart surgery. He added, “These masked agents’ conduct was lawless, reckless and cruel. If this can happen in broad daylight to an American senior citizen who committed no crime, it can happen to anyone. This was not law enforcement, it was an assault on civil rights, and our democracy cannot survive if federal agents operate above the law.”Photos taken afterwards showed severe bruising on his arms. The claim also notes he continues to suffer painful breathing and sleep difficulties, while employees are too frightened to return to work, leading to the temporary closure of his business.Federal agencies have rejected the allegations. In a statement to CBS News, CBP confirmed the operation, saying Shouhed had “obstructed” the raid, “disobeyed commands” and was arrested for assaulting and impeding a federal agent. DHS added that the Van Nuys operation resulted in the arrest of five undocumented immigrants.However, Shouhed was released without charges. DeSimone argued that federal agents escalated unnecessarily. “The video shows you, this is the way ICE is operating in our community,” he said. “Instead of asking questions, they immediately resort to force.”The case adds to mounting legal challenges against immigration raids in California. According to The Guardian, other lawsuits have emerged, including one filed by the mother of a 15-year-old US citizen who says her son was wrongfully detained at gunpoint.Shouhed is pressing ahead with his claim, which accuses federal authorities of assault, battery, civil rights violations and deliberate indifference to his health. His legal team insists the incident highlights the dangers of unchecked immigration enforcement.
