Federal officials have confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is investigating after a tow truck driver unlawfully removed a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle during an operation in Los Angeles.
The incident occurred while ICE officers were making an arrest of a criminal illegal alien earlier this month.
According to DHS, the federal vehicle was parked with lights flashing in a driveway that extended into a public street while officers were conducting the arrest.
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During that time, a tow truck arrived and hauled away the vehicle. Officials say the driver mocked and videotaped the agents as they attempted to chase after the truck.
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the incident in an email statement, noting that both the tow truck driver and anyone responsible for sending him are under investigation.
This latest incident was real and intentional, McLaughlin confirmed.
She also emphasized that DHS intends to pursue charges against those involved in obstructing federal law enforcement.
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The arrest that preceded the incident involved Leidy Tatiana Mafla-Martinez, a Colombian national who entered the United States illegally in 2022.
Mafla-Martinez, known online as “TikTok Tatiana,” had gained nearly 40,000 followers by livestreaming ICE operations and sharing the locations of enforcement actions.
She runs a large anti-ICE TikTok account—now agents caught on livestream targeting her in violent arrest.
Agents drag her out of Tesla & throw her on ground where she lay unresponsive—then rushed by ambulance to hospital.
She is well-known to ICE as community activist who films… pic.twitter.com/co7oDbzkxC
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) August 16, 2025
Officials say the practice was intended to rally crowds to disrupt and intimidate officers conducting lawful arrests.
On August 15, ICE agents took Mafla-Martinez into custody in Los Angeles.
She had previously been convicted of driving under the influence.
ICE reported that during the arrest she claimed to have shortness of breath, received medical treatment, and was then placed into ICE detention pending removal proceedings.
During that same operation, the federal vehicle was towed away.
DHS has described the removal as unlawful interference with law enforcement.
Hey @ICEgov Is This The Same Towing Company That Just Stole Your Vehicle While Detaining Illegal Alien and TikTok influencer Tatiana Martinez??
Airport Towing (Oxnard, CA) Owned by:
Dan McLaren – Listed as CEO/President in historical records; he’s been associated with the… https://t.co/LerI2P8uj6 pic.twitter.com/ydN9YpvDlg— Project Constitution (@ProjectConstitu) August 16, 2025
Secretary Noem has been clear: Anyone who seeks to impede law enforcement will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The unusual incident has drawn comparisons to other recent episodes in California where federal vehicles were targeted.
Sources pointed to a case in Oxnard where a tow truck removed an unmarked federal vehicle from a hospital parking lot while agents were conducting an arrest.
Federal officials say the pattern suggests intentional efforts to disrupt ICE operations in the state.
The confirmation from DHS directly contradicts claims from some media outlets that similar reports of ICE vehicles being towed were unfounded.
While several “fact check” articles dismissed the allegations as fiction, DHS has now verified that the Los Angeles case was real and that an investigation is active.
Video evidence reportedly exists of the driver recording himself mocking ICE agents as he drove off with the government vehicle.
Federal officials have not disclosed whether that footage has been obtained but confirmed that the video is part of the ongoing inquiry.
Mafla-Martinez remains in federal custody while removal proceedings move forward.
DHS has not released further details about the identity of the tow truck driver or whether additional arrests are expected.
The investigation continues as ICE agents and DHS officials work to determine whether these incidents are part of a coordinated effort to obstruct immigration enforcement in California.
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