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VIDEO | 02:43
U.S. citizen confronting agents during a sweep is arrested
California

U.S. citizen confronting agents during a sweep is arrested

By Brittny Mejia
, Rachel Uranga and Mark E. Potts
A 20-year-old Walmart employee was returning from break on Tuesday when he saw Border Patrol trucks taking a maintenance worker in the parking lot, he jumped out of the car and wheeled the man’s trash can in front of the vehicle as other passersby gathered around the truck yelling, blaring their horns.

Surveillance and other video captured at the scene and looped in social media feeds show an agent sprinting out of the truck and then pushing Adrian Martinez to the ground. He stands back up arguing and chaotic scuffle erupts.

“What is he doing? He’s a f***king hard worker,” Martinez can be heard yelling as more armed agents arrive some in plain clothes, shoving him and forcibly arresting him.
California
Brittny Mejia

Brittny Mejia is a Metro reporter covering federal courts for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote narrative pieces with a strong emphasis on the Latino community and others that make up the diversity of L.A. and California. Mejia was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2021 in local reporting for her investigation with colleague Jack Dolan that exposed failures in Los Angeles County’s safety-net healthcare system that resulted in months-long wait times for patients, including some who died before getting appointments with specialists. She joined The Times in 2014.

Rachel Uranga

Rachel Uranga covers immigration for the Los Angeles Times. She can be reached at rachel.uranga@latimes.com or via Signal at Uranga.64.

Mark E. Potts

Mark E. Potts is the senior editor for video at the Los Angeles Times. A native of Enid, Okla., Potts graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. He has created and edited video for DreamWorks, YouTube, Microsoft, Sony and BET.

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