Wild video shows masked federal immigration agents chase down a congregant during a Los Angeles church’s charity food drive — leaving parishioners fuming.
Churchgoers claimed the agents descended on the parking lot of the North Hills United Methodist Church Hispanic Mission on Thursday, looking to cuff taco vendor Carlos Chavez-Guzman.
Video of the chaotic arrest shows Chavez-Guzman wearing an apron as he tries to bolt from the agents in the parking lot while a child is egg him — screaming “run, run!”
“He’s a good guy, why are you doing this?” someone is heard asking agents in the video.
The church claimed they were “ambushed” during the operation.
“Upon entry they ran through our parking lot all while our food ministry was taking place,” the church said in a statement. “Our food ministry is an expression of God’s love for the hungry and as a result of ICE’s senseless actions, we were forced to stop the food ministry.”
Other congregants sought shelter inside the church, according to the pastor.
“I feel that my sacred right to worship my Lord, Jesus Christ, and serve him were violated,” Pastor Ervin Adin Aguilon said at a Monday news conference. “It breaks my heart…this is my place to worship my Lord, and I am devastated.”
But Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Chavez-Guzman was in the US illegally, and had been previously deported from the country in 2016.
“Chavez-Guzman chose to run from law enforcement, a federal crime, leading them on a foot chase before his arrest,” McLaughlin told CBS News. “This operation also resulted in the arrest of two other individuals from Mexico who have violated the immigration laws of our country.”
Chavez-Guzman’s wife, Maribel Gonzalez Gatica, said he has since been deported to Mexico. The couple has four children together, his wife said in a GoFundMe plea.
The DHS did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.