Air marshals, mistaken for ICE agents, chased out of LA County restaurant

Three federal air marshals were chased out of a Lynwood restaurant after a crowd mistook them for immigration agents on Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. 

The apparent case of mistaken identity occurred around 6:20 p.m. at Plaza Mexico, in the 3100 block of E. Imperial Hwy. The air marshals were having dinner at a Korean barbecue restaurant when someone recognized them as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, according to deputies. 

Deputies said a large crowd formed at Plaza Mexico after the rumor spread through the restaurant and social media. The Sheriff’s Department said the air marshals called for help, prompting dozens of deputies from two nearby stations to respond. 

The deputies separated the air marshals from the crowd and created a skirmish line between the two groups in the parking lot. After a brief time, they walked the federal agents to the sidewalk, where an unmarked van picked them up. 

With an escort from deputies, the van drove the air marshals to the Sheriff’s Department’s Century Station. 

Deputies did not arrest anyone during the incident. The crowd dispersed soon after. 

Federal air marshals fall under the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.